pixy and a bike

Cyclocross Master World Championships

2012-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

If you asked me a few years back, if I would ever race in January, I would have answered something like: “No, are you crazy?” ..... I’m not really sure how this past week came to be, but Cyclocross World Championships making it’s first visit to the U.S., was an opportunity not to be missed. It did not take all that much arm-twisting from friends to convince Art and me to make the trip to Louisville and register to race as part of this historic event.

Raystown Lake, Pa .... Our journey started with a quick stop at Raystown Lake Trails for a short ride to loosen our legs up. We had lunch and got back on route and quickly drove into rain.

Louisville: We arrived in Louisville after a few 50 degree rainy days that left the course very wet. The course is situated in a flood plain which is silt soil with a smooth and slippery texture. The first day of heat races churned the course into mud and puddles. Then the temps dropped into the low twenties making frozen ruts and ice over 80% of the course. The flyover and landing area was so icy, that before the heats could start the promoter poured bags of salt and added a few loads of dirt to the landing to make it safer.

Flyover

Art warming up in the truck

Art raced his seeding heat the morning of the first deep freeze, and conditions were very unpredictable, with racers getting hooked on ruts, falling and shooting off course. Even the leaders were struggling. I was uncertain if I should even pre-ride the course that day because the conditions were so sketchy. Several ladies told me that they would not ride in those conditions. Then the course crews started to relocate a few of the really bad sections, so I went out on course to give it try.

It took me a half of a lap to trust my instincts, but once I did, I really enjoyed trying to negotiate the conditions. It totally took my mind off of fitness and being nervous to race, as the conditions demanded full concentration. I rode the edges and zig-zaged across the ruts trying not to let them hook my wheel. When I got to the flyover, there were a few ladies discussing if they should ride down. I did not even want to look down. I just needed to trust in myself. Without hesitation, I stepped up to them and stepped onto my pedal and swung my leg over, and I was down smoothly.

The following day the sun came out, and by late day it warmed slightly, softening, churning and rutting the course up again. Yep, you guessed it …. twenties again at night and a dusting of snow to leave me frozen ruts and hidden ice for my early morning race. When I got there the crews were busy dumping wood chips and dirt on a few dicey sections, which really helped. I took 2 laps in the morning and once again enjoyed the challenge of the conditions and how it took my mind off of being nervous.

Run up

Start line

Staging

Eventually I took the line and was 2nd row behind Elite Time Trial World Champion and past Olympian, Karen Brems. Not that I had the goods to hold on to her wheel, but I had the best wheel in the line up, thanks to Art for pointing me to that spot. I had a good start and after the long stretch of pavement I was well within top 8, maybe even top 6. In the first lap, a few ladies passed me on straight stretches as we settled into our places. Then I tangled into some kevlar tape, which does not break but tosses you back, and I lost another spot. This momentarily flustered my confidence. It took me a half a lap, but I got my head together and back on pace.

The run ups were all steep with frozen shoe holes. My chain fell off on the barrier run up while head to head with another woman. I hopped on, found my pedals and shifted my chain up before the next turn, while staying in front. I am so pleased for staying calm and getting that done under pressure. I went back and forth with several women in lap 3 and 4. Then going into the last section, they both ended up in front of me and they opened up a very small gap. I took the inside line with the giant rut into the second to last run-up. I hung out my inside leg, and managed to keep the bike upright, which put me right behind the other two women. I hustled up the final run-up and mounted quickly to get in front of one of them, and then took the inside line into the final turn and passed the other. I ended up 2nd in the finish sprint, which placed me 12th overall.

By afternoon the course completely changed. Art's race was a total mud slog. He had no pit bike, and ground out the whole race, only able to find one happy gear where he could keep his chain on. Many of the racers were struggling, but Art stayed tough and held a strong 15th in a large field. The conditions were so diverse, It's hard to believe both our races were on the same day. By the last race of the day, racers were only getting 3 laps in the allotted time because of the mud. I never thought I would say this, but I was happy for the frozen ruts and ice.

Art's bike

Erin after the muddiest race of the weekend. We enjoyed some beer while cars were getting pushed out of the mud.

This race was a great experience with totally epic conditions. I was uncertain how I would hold up in full winter conditions, but I thought I did really well, and to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the frozen conditions. It was also very inspiring to race in a class with so many strong athletes. I certainly have my work cut out for me, if I should want do this again next year.

Ray's Indoor park in Cleveland!! Oh heck .... we are out here anyway, so why not stop and check out Ray's! You can be certain that Pixy was terrorizing the little peanuts in the beginner and novice areas.

Drove back into rain. ..... The whole view of Pennsylvania

2012 and One Week to Go ....

2012-01-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

2012 is here and while I have had some thoughts about the new year, I found myself putting them hold in order to try to focus on this one last race to wrap up my cyclo-cross season. I'm headed to Cyclocross Master World Championships and I am not sure if I am ready to race, but I am looking forward to the journey and the new experiences I may have, as well as the the long anticipated break that lies ahead at the end of my race season. Stay tuned for some pictures and stories.

MAC CX Series Grand Finale

2011-12-12T06:45:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, the Mac Series took us back to Fairhill in Maryland on Saturday and then up to Allentown Pa for the grand finale of the series of fourteen races. I have been sitting in second place for most of the series and Art has worked his way up to fifth. We were both anxious to get out and race and give it our best and make our final decision on whether we still had any gas left in the tanks to consider racing at Master World Championships in Louisville Kentucky on January 11-15.

Friday we headed down early with our mountain bikes to ride White Clay again. That worked out so well last time. We gave it another shot. This time, I did not have a stiff neck and the weather was really sunny and warm. We had a laid back ride, no heart rate monitors or clocks, just pedaling and giggling as we twisted and undulated our way though the woods. When we exited the woods, we had a winter sky above that reminded me that winter is indeed on it’s way.

Fairhill Race: The race was held on a fair grounds/horse racetrack. The long course would take racers through three distinct districts that were separated by woods or buildings. On course were barriers, off cambers, barns, a run up and a trip into a sandy horse ring around barrels. There was also an actual wide single track through the woods, which was really cool for us mountain bikers.

I got off to a good start, and found myself in fourth place chasing Katy in third. The two leaders, Liz and Jen seemed to ride out of site on the first lap. I chased hard but I felt like I was losing ground trying to catch Katy and I still had a train of ladies behind me. Diane behind me was cheering for me. Funny, because I usually do that sort of thing and I think it is catching on. Yes, we all need motivation, and there are so few women, we can’t help but encourage each other, even when racing. The inner support between women in cross is so much like mountain biking in that respect.

I held for a lap in fourth and found I was no longer fading but holding steady with Katy just barely in sight in front of me. Then I noticed Jen in the mix with Katy, yet I was still 15 seconds back or so. It did not seem realistic that I would catch either of them, but I gave it a shot because I will never get better if I don’t try in these situations. I have a long list of things I could use to improve on, but one thing I am pretty good at is being efficient on the latter half of my race when other racers may start to fall apart. I have been trying not to get too discouraged in the first half but just plow ahead and hope things get better. They usually do.

I went into the bell lap chasing, and finally passed Jen. Jen is very strong and has won almost all the races in this series. I found out after, she had flatted earlier and changed bikes in the pit and was struggling with an unfamiliar pit bike. I could not hold my pass that long, and as we entered the last third of the final lap, Jen passed Katy and me back. To make things worse, I drifted back another 10 seconds from them.

As I climbed up hill past the pit, I began to give up as I was suffering and it was too close to the finish to dream of catching back up to them. Art screamed at me, and announced that they were suffering too. This was probably the best insight he could relay to me at that time. These were both strong racers, and I wanted to come in as close as possible on their heals if I could, and you never know when a door will open in front of you. With that, I charged the downhill towards the turn to the run up. It was a bit greasy and had chain link fence, not tape if I overshot it, but I felt confident going in with a tad more speed. Not only did I bridge back up, but the turn carved so nicely that I almost passed Katy on the inside, but then the door shut.

I am not very savvy or experienced with passing in turns nor would I want to take anyone out. So I did what is my nature, just to hang. Then the barriers opened door #1 around Katy. I entered the final sand ring on Jen's wheel. She dabbed the first turn, I dabbed the first turn, then she chose to run the next turn, and I preferred to dab and stay on. As I powered back up in the sand, door #2 opened, and I was by and up to speed very quickly. The finish line was a short paved sprint after exiting the sand ring, so I had to hustle. I really did not think I could beat Jen in a sprint, but Katy was close and I really did not know how close. Julie Lockhart gave me some advise once: always contest a sprint, even if you think they are not in your class, because you never know who may slip in there with them. So with that embedded in my brain, I hammered and was lucky enough to claim 2nd place behind elite racer Liz Harlow.

It was a very exciting race for me, to say the least. I was so excited afterwards, that I did not even realize that winter had arrived.

Limekiln Race: We arrived at the race to find a frosty wonderland, glittering with course tape. The bright sunshine was much appreciated as it was my first really cold morning this year. Art and I were glad to have our last race be a course that was so much fun and somewhat challenging. Art had a super race and placed 3rd with a big smile on his face. My race was not as smooth as his, and reminded me that I need to practice more stuff. It also included some suffering, some heckling, some laughing and a really spectacular crash into a pine tree, sending me sideways over the course tape. I was amazed that I did not get hurt. The fear in my eyes as I was headed for that tree was enough to wimp me into walking the descent on the laps to follow. Sorry to disappoint anyone that thought I was a super hero, but we all get mentally rearranged now an then, and I was happy the pine tree only broke my confidence and not my bones. I will face that demon another day. I did manage to rally back into third place, and finish on a good note.

Racing the Mac series this year has been really fun for us both, and this past weekend was a great series finale. ..... Louisville Bound!

Sussex CX

2011-12-02T14:49:00.001-08:00

Being one of the oldest cross races in New Jersey, Sussex CX race is a tradition for many. This year was spectacular with warm temperatures and dry conditions. For some reason I was really looking forward to racing this day, and I have no idea why. I just woke up feeling like I was going to have fun. This is a good thing for sure.

I tried to get a lap on the course, but did not have enough time for a whole lap before the first race got underway, so I had to wait for the first race to finish before I could go out again. This was the first time I messed up my pre-ride timing, but I adjusted and waited. It was really no big deal, but it meant I would not be able to assist Art at his start. I hated to abandon him, but I felt I needed to get out on course to get a feel for things, and this would be my last chance.

Although not super technical, the course was quite challenging with a triple, up hill set of barriers that plucked you smack in front of a muck hole, and a single barrier very close to a run up, sending your heart rate out of control every time. So, even though the ground was mostly firm, the promoters made things a bit interesting for sure.

I struggled getting my heart rate up while on the trainer before my race, leaving me not properly warmed up at the start. At least I got a pre-ride lap on course before which was a help. When the gun (trombone actually) went off, I felt like I got dropped on the slightly uphill start. I got a little panicky, but once I turned the corner to level ground, I was able to bridge up and make my first pass right before the grass. I entered the grass at full speed trying to take the turn as wide as possible so that I did not have to brake. I ended up using the whole track, nearly touching the tape. When I looked up, I realized I was back on the train.

During the first lap, I passed the leader, who had crashed and was fiddling with her bike on the side, and two racers, leaving me in third place. I pressed and suffered for 3 laps trying just to hang onto Christina in the turns. She would start to get away and then I would dig deep and reel her back. Not sure if she had a weak moment or I had a surge, but I passed her on one of the climbs and buried myself to give myself a cushion for the turns ahead. With this little effort, I started to catch sight of Erin ahead. That carrot on the stick was all I needed, to keep me pushing ahead. Three laps, and probably my fastest laps of the day, I crossed the finish line in second place. This was the women's elite field, so I won some cash as well as a cool cowbell.

When I got home, I started to analyze my race. The week before, I read a blog post by Colin R of Crossresults.com:
http://untilthesnowends.blogspot.com/2011/10/providence-day-1-lap-time-analysis-aka.html
and decided to compare my race time with the guys. What I found was surprising: If I raced the men's 50+ (which is my age bracket), I would have been 11 th out of 24. If I raced Cat 4/40+, I would have won by almost 2 minutes. I also would have finished 20 seconds behind last place in open B men. What does all this mean? I guess I am faster than I thought I was, but not as fast as the young boys. I am glad to race with the ladies, and hope to get more out racing. .... Keeping 2012 Cyclo-cross Master World Championships on my radar.

White Clay / Fairhill

2011-11-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

With Race #10 in the MAC cyclo-cross series being in Maryland on Saturday, Art and decided to drive down on Friday so we did not have to get up in the wee hours and drive down the morning of our race. If we drove down Friday mid day, we could mountain bike at White Clay the day before our race. We had heard good things about White Clay, but had never been.

White Clay trails were not technical but twisted and undulated through the woods allowing bikers to swoop along like a bird. I was a tad bummed because I had a stiff neck that did not allow me to lift my head enough to ride fast, but it felt great to get out and ride on some buffed out trails. My home trails of Ringwood are so rocky that I do miss fast swoopy trails and the experience that comes with them. I think I may need to go back to this place again for a more complete test ride when my neck is better.

Art and I found a great restaurant for dinner that night, the "Blue Crab Grill". We had some fantastic crab cakes. I usually don't drink beer the night before a race, but Arts Troogs Java Head Stout looked so good, I had to have a taste. Well, it was yummy. So I did not need any arm twisting. I ordered one too, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was half hoping it may help my stiff neck, so that I would feel more up to racing the next day.

It's amazing the affects of a good beer.... Although not completely gone, my neck was much better in the morning, and I was thrilled to find a fairly dry course in the morning. Things were looking good and I set out on course to take a lap. The lap was really fun so I took another lap just a little faster and the course only got better. There were some momentum sections that crossed a ravine and a mini table top ... so cool! After the last few cold wet mud slogs, this course was just what the doctor ordered for my spirits.

The race got under way and things heated right up. I ended up holding 2nd place for most of my first lap and all the fun parts of the course were even better at speed with a tight mix of racers. Three of us stayed close and battled it out back and forth the entire race. I ended up fourth, but gave it all I had and put up a good fight. In so many races women get spread out and it is hard to keep motivated, but this day was not at all like that. It was a fantastic and exciting experience like cross should be. The Mac series is really the premier series for competitive women in the northeast. I see now that I may need to practice passing in turns, as I never seemed to have enough gas on the straights. I hope to have more close racing in my near future.

Beacon CX

2011-10-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

I had heard good things about the Beacon course, and although the race was quite a distance from home, I made an effort to make it happen this year. Art had an install half way between the race and home. He scheduled the install for Friday night, this way the trip down seemed more worth the time. Well, that is what we thought. Art was a tad behind schedule and rush hour traffic was insane. This is NJ .... what were we thinking? Six hours later, we finally got to our hotel to catch some sleep.

By this time the weather forecast had turned from light rain or snow showers to a full blown Northeaster. The weather guys were spot on, and it was raining when we got up. I certainly do not mind mud or cold, but cold and wet combined is not something I enjoy. Perhaps I never got over doing the freezing "Running of the Dogs" race years ago, but I am not looking to go there now. So as we had made the trip down, spent hotel fare and paid our entry fees, my thought was "It's only 40 minutes", so we went to race. Deep inside, I could not wait to be done, as I knew it would be cold. I stayed in the truck as long as possible to avoid hanging out in the rain, even as far as skipping a pre-ride and warming up on the trainer in the truck, but eventually we had to face up and go out and race in the rain.

Once on course, it really was fine for me. I actually enjoyed the handling conditions, but For Art it was not so much fun as he suffers from Raynaud's condition in his hands. Many sections of the course were completely under water, and others were all mud. I could not believe how hard it was to get up the amphitheater steps or even the barriers with all the mud. By the time I was done, temps were dropping into the low 30's, and Art was quick to get me to the truck to change out of my wet, mud incased clothes. This whole process was not much fun, and I certainly questioned wether I am indeed cut out for cross. Still shaking from the cold, I agreed to pack up and head home without even checking results as we were expecting snow up north. To my knowledge I may have been 4th in my race, but was too cold to really care either way.

As we drove home in the rain, I noticed the colors of the trees in south jersey were outstanding. I do not know if it was the contrast of the colors against the dark sky, but seeing them was a short special moment in my day. From there, we drove into a snowstorm, and were pretty stressed trying not to end up like the many cars we saw off the highway in ditches for the next five hours. It was a bit odd to arrive home to shovel the driveway and then take out the hose to wash muddy bikes and clothes.

As much as we both wanted to race at HPCX on Sunday, I could not bring myself to get up early an do all that again. The race itself is fun, but sometimes the clean up and sitting in the car wears me down.

Granogue CX

2011-10-17T14:52:00.001-07:00

The race at Granogue is special to me. Last year it was my first of the year testing race, and got me sucked in to the whole cross deal. The course is a little more than a flat field with mud and some running. It has some hills, trails, textures and some pretty impressive scenery. Taking place on the Dupont estate, this race is quite unique and perhaps the witnessing of the tail end of a bittersweet era. For now, I am loving it for what it is, and giving thanks to all those of this era that have been generous enough to let a bunch of bikers come out and ride on their lawn.

This years race was no less symbolic, as I had my first crash. I have witnessed many falls while on course and always wondered why everyone fell down. I knew my time would come and Saturday was it. There was a good field for 45+ with several elite women racing down for whatever reason. I may have been a tad intimidated but also really excited to have the honor of racing these ladies. I was up for the challenge!

Day #1: I had an ok start, but always struggle sorting out before I can settle in. There were plenty of back and forths, mis-shifts and some spills in front of me, but finally I found myself chasing 4th place down, with 3 out of sight off the front. Near the end of my 3rd of four laps, I let it hang out a bit on the descent in hopes to bridge up, and in a fraction of a second, my front tire slipped out on a greasy off camber. As soon as the hood hit the ground, I was ejected off the front giving me a very clean landing in the grass just in front of my bike. I'll admit, I was a tad surprised that I had gone down, but nothing hurt, so I was back on the bike quickly and flying down the hill in hopes that my rear brake lever was still in working order, which it was.

I chased down for a half lap, but could not see the rider in front. I finally went to stand up a hill in a final effort, and my drive train halted. "What a time to brake a chain" I thought, but after looking down, I found the chain jumbled and off the chain rings. I got off the bike and moved to the side of the track. My chain came free and I quickly placed it back on but my rear wheel would not turn. I tried to stay calm and think. I decided to check my rear skewer, and sure enough, the wheel had pulled out of the drop out. In the mean time 3-4 ladies had gone by and I was hoping not too many of them where in my class. As it turned out, only one of them was, and I held onto 6th place, but it felt like a disorganized race for me.

Day #2: Art and I thought that my fall on Saturday had loosened my skewer or maybe I did not get it tight enough after my wheel swap from the warm up on the trainer, but once I was racing on course the small half of my cog set was all jumpy making it hard to concentrate or pedal smoothly. I should have checked all this out after my race on Saturday. Now I had to deal with it in the race. It took me a lap or two, but I finally figured I would shift chain rings more and use less of the cog set.

The run up was really exciting this day, because of the off camber mounting area where you had to turn and shoot down into a steep bumpy descent with a turn at the bottom. This made for some uncertainty and choices in risk, and was lined with spectators. I remember last year, having no idea how to handle this and just giving in to running up and down, which worked fine last year. I practiced mounting in this situation for this year and got it every lap on Sunday, no problem. Practice and confidence does really help! I was certain I finished 6th but I must have gone by someone without realizing it, and I took fifth. Art checked my bike on Monday, and I had pulled the barrel adjuster out of the DR body stripping the last few threads. I was thankful I was able to finish the race fairly well.

The weather was fabulous this past weekend. Warm days are winding down and although I enjoy cross, I am not looking forward to winter. It was wonderful to have spent both days out side soaking up the sun. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Some photos below of a hike Art and I took at Brandywine River Park on Friday afternoon, after driving down through many rain storms. A hawk was waiting for us in the tree in the first photo.

... And Snap, Fall Is Here

2011-10-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been #10's on the scale of beautiful days. After what seemed like a month of rainy, humid and cloudy weather, New Jersyites have been blessed with warm sunny days. I was beginning to think that the soggy climate would brown the leaves and drop them without color. Today I was able to confirm that the colors have started.

Six weeks has passed with races every weekend, ... sometimes two races a weekend. Today was a treat to just take an easy ride in the park and enjoy the change of seasons. This is my favorite time of year to ride a bike in the woods. Soft reds were spreading upward out of the swamps and the trails were covered in many shades of leaves. Frogs leaped into puddles as I passed and the smell of autumn was on the trail.

The past two weekends were dedicated to mountain bike racing, and will probably complete my mountain bike racing for 2011. The Campmor H2H Leaf Blower and state championship was probably the wettest race I have done in 15 years. I am grateful that leaves are currently falling and helping to reclaim any traces of us racers. The promoter was very diligent to remove sensitive trails from the race and I am very thankful.

My equipment (Sram drivetrain and Industry Nine wheels) held together and worked flawlessly throughout two and half hours of over the axle water and mud, and wet rocks. Thanks to my Hammer Heed, I finished strong and cramp free taking 3rd in the Pro/open field and claimed the 40+ New Jersey Champion title. Thanks to all of you that cheered me on. Racing under these conditions reminds me how lucky I am to have such supporting friends and supporting sponsors.

Last weekend was the Bagels and Bacon Short Track. I thought this race would be good training for cyclo-cross, plus the venue and course is pretty cool, and was for the Boy Scouts of America. I really enjoy Short Track when it is technical and hilly like this course. I won a six pack of beer and was invited to eat unlimited amounts of pork and bacon afterwards. I may not have taken full advantage of that pork offer, but what a fun day!

Farewell to September Rains

2011-10-07T06:02:00.001-07:00

Whirlybird CX

2011-09-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at the race, Tammy told that Jenn, the lady who has ben killing my class, moved up to elite for the day. There were still a bunch of strong ladies at the race, but my hopes of 2nd or 3rd just raised up a notch. Robin, another fast lady was there and she usually kills me on the long straights, something that my attention span does not handle as well. I am always looking forward to the turns and sketchy off cambers to get a quick recovery. I suppose you just can not take the mountain biker out of a mountain biker. Either way, I am aware of that weakness, and make that the place where I push the hardest.

I had front row line up, yay! ... and filled in #3 during the opening sprint. Eventually Robin sprinted by all of us and I had to sit in #4 until a slight uphill off camber where I saw Robin start to pull away so I made my move up to second position. I struggled but was able to keep her in sight. She eventually fell in a wet section which gave me a second or two to catch up. I think we got to the top of the run up at the same time, but she mounted immediately and I ran up to speed and got in front. I have been practicing my mounting and running, and I think the practice is paying off!

Now the problem was holding her off and riding clean myself. I had to dig really deep, as I felt like crap. There is something about being in the front that motivates you, and I continued to keep digging my way through the pain cave. Robin was on my wheel the entire race and the 3/4 women were now nipping at my heels as well. I almost went down once, but managed to keep it upright. I did not waste too much of my time trying to ride the steep wet ups, I just ran them as not to make any mistakes. Usually a handful of 3/4's, who start a minute back, come by, but not today. I finished first rider in , which is a first for me in the Mac series.

I was super pleased with my race, but learned that I need to pay better attention to where the awards are to be. I was a bit rushed not being able to find them, that I forgot to take my helmet off for the picture. I thought this would be a good time to thank my sponsor Bell for keeping my head protected and so comfortable that I did not even realize my helmet was on.

At Home Again in Mud

2011-09-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Although watching summer give way to fall brings some sadness, Cyclo-Cross has brought the love back into fall for me. I am not exactly sure what it is about this crazy sport, but being in the company of mud-splattered smiles seems to help make up for losing those wonderful long days of summer.

Last Saturday was the season opener at T-Town with the Nittany Lion Cross. The race fell on the heels of hurricane Irene and a tropical storm, both that soaked much of the northeast with rain causing major flooding. I was a bit apprehensive when the promoter kept sending out updates of flooded parking and road closures the day before the race, but much to my surprise we had no problem parking or getting there.

This would be my first race since MTB National Championships in July. I knew it would be muddy, but I was more nervous about lasting 40 minutes than I was about dealing with mud. I do not consider myself an experienced cyclo-cross mud racer, as it was dry most of last year, but I suppose I do have several decades of mountain bike race experience in all conditions, and I was somewhat curious to see what this mud stuff was all about on a cross bike.

I pre-rode the course in the morning and it was somewhat muddy, flat and not technical. However after the Cat 4 race went, the mud puddles got bigger and one became a giant long slog that would need to be run or walked. I felt fairly confident in my technical skills on this course and was looking forward to plunging into the water on my first lap. I always get a chuckle on a first plunge of the day. I don’t think I ever ran through puddles as a kid, and who would have imagined I would get into that when I was 50?

I went to the line and although I had some “first race of the year” nerves, it felt good being there, and I quickly felt at home with this group of women. The women at the Mac series are a nice bunch of ladies, and it is a thrill to see so many women that come out to race. I was not certain of how the mud thing would pan out, but my main mission was to move ahead whether on foot or bike and figure it out as I go. The nice thing about multiple laps, is that you have the chance to master it by the last lap.

I did not pay close enough attention at the start, and was alarmed to hear clipping in while I was daydreaming for a second. So although I was last out of the start, I stayed calm and safely worked myself up to maybe 5th within a minute. This was not a bad place to be, and before I knew it, I was chaffing a bit, but steadied up a tad until passing space looked good. By the end of the second puddle, I was in the lead. That only lasted a short while, and the eventual winner came by me.

As soon as things opened up a bit, she started to pull away as I started to pull away from those behind me. The first lap is always exciting as a wet course can change greatly as the races go on. Having to run a long section while shouldering your bike sends your heart rate through the roof, but I kept moving forward like I had planned. On lap 3, my bike, which was covered in mud, slipped out of my hand while setting it down from my shoulder and bounced up and struck me hard behind the knee. For a second, I wanted to give in to the pain cave, but I resisted and moved ahead. I think my last lap was my smoothest, placing me in second place with a two minute margin on both sides of me.

This was a much better result for me than I expected. Spent 40 minutes on the bike wash line with all the other muddy chicks, and then it was time to pack it up and head home to get ready to race Jungle Habitat mountain bike race on Sunday.

Jungle habitat is uber technical and on top of that, it was wet. By the time Cat 1 raced, it was extremely slick and would be a race for bike handlers more than fitness. My plan on Sunday was to ride technically clean, and to look at the race as a longer and more aerobic paced ride. Considering the slickness of the course, it was probably the most sensible plan.

I decided to ride my Titus 26” full suspension, which I had not ridden in 6 weeks. It was probably not the smartest choice, but I was thinking the 100mm fork on my 26" bike would be better than 80mm on my 29er at Jungle. I struggled a bit on the first lap readjusting to the feel of the smaller wheels, but eventually settled in by lap 2. Once again, I think my third lap was my smoothest, cleaning the entire chute and only 1 dab on goat. I cruised in for 4th place in the elite field. I was a good distance off 3rd place, but a strong finish none the less.

More bike washing, then time to rest my little legs....

Vermont Sampler

2011-08-25T12:37:00.001-07:00

Art and I took a little trip to Vermont to visit my brother and get some riding in with him and my nephew before my nephew started school. We decided to check out some new places to ride and see what Vermont had to offer. The result was pretty good.

Our first day, we rode in Pine Hill Park in Rutland. It's not very big, but do not dismiss it because of it's size. The trails are well designed, well marked and offer great riding for many levels. Even though it was a town park, you felt like you were out in the woods. They even had a suspension bridge that was built by local volunteers. I certainly recommend this spot for a day trip if you are passing through or spend time in Rutland.

The next day we rode at Perry Hill in Waterbury, thanks to a recommendation from Mergs. We did not have a guide or map, but followed the Kiosk and signs and figured things out. One thing to keep in mind in this place is to know that the loops are only marked one way and connectors are not marked. If you want to do all the loops there is a preferred order or you will have to climb the main road four times. We figured it out by the second time up the hill and made adjustments. Burning Spear Trail was awesome! We accidentally did it backwards, but it was good that way too. There is some great trail building going on in this park for sure.

Art actually did a second ride this day with a friend in Richmond/Hinesburg, but I stayed back to enjoy dinner and wine on the my brother's awesome deck. We also walked his property to scope out some possible trails building projects.

A taste of Vermont life:

On the third day, my brother gave us a tour of his "little patch" local trails in Waitsfield. We started on Chain Gang trail in Phen block and worked our way over to Cyclone trail in Howe block. The trails in this area are more oriented in the fall line and do not come cheap .... you pay in climbing to get to them. They were a little more technical in spots, but in my opinion the effort to get to them was much greater than the short time spent actually riding the good stuff. The trail system could use more low angle contour line trails for climbing and descending. My nephew reports that the kids in his school will take up any other sport to avoid mountain biking and it is my guess that most these kids give up on the big road climbs before they even make it to the trails. I guess that is Vermont life? In contrary to that, my brother is killing it on his bike from riding all those hills!

Day four and five ..... on to Kingdom Trails in East Burke to meet up with some of team Campmor.

A Summers Worth of Trail Building

2011-08-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

As I type this, I am already 65 hours into this year’s trail project and I have had a plethora of experiences on this special mountain. I have worked in extreme heat, in clouds of mosquitoes and in thunderstorms. I have witnessed beautiful water falls that I did not even know existed. I have been blessed with beautiful sunsets and gentle breezes. Every Thursday has been spent with hands in the dirt and moving rocks to create a pleasing path for others to take. I hope you will take it.

Ringwood-Ramapo Trail Project: For those following this project, we (Jorba) have been making improvements to the Ringwood-Ramapo (red) trail from the intersection of the (blue) bridge all the way up to The Old Guard Trail (green/white) intersection. The project started with two years of planning and approvals, and then three years of actual trail building to date. This trail traverses and climbs through some very extreme grades and numerous rocky areas. When Art and I first took on this project, we knew it was ambitious. Trying to keep volunteers motivated to work on something that they may not be able to ride for years was tough, but I think we have finally crested over the top of that hill.

After getting Lyme disease and tearing my rotator cuff while out on the planning stages of this project, I am finally reaping some positive vibes as people start riding this trail. Of course this is not because of me, but because of all the volunteers that spent their days working on the trail.

Thank you workers ….
Joe
Ty
Adrienne
James
Steve
Zsuzanna
Allen
Jessica
Jeff
Joaquin
Elizabeth
Leigh
JD
Joey
Bill
Patti
Tim
Henry
Tom
Dar
Dan
Kathy
Chris
Phil
Randy
Michael
Marianne
Willy
Tahir
Jennel
Tara
Manny
and Art. This trail will have your signature on it.

Please go out and ride here:

Sun Valley National Championships

2011-07-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Les awaiting the first Idaho ride.

Some may wonder why I would book a trip to National Championships on a year that I have not been training or racing too much. I wonder myself, but it was just a set of circumstances that started rolling, and I went with it and never looked back. I had never been to Sun Valley and heard it was very beautiful and worth the trip. The rumor was spot on, beautiful indeed, and very bike friendly. I would go back to ride again for sure. My only regret was that I spent too many days pre-riding and racing on a limited race course and would have preferred to be riding the great vast trail systems in the area everyday.

Reading maps at 50 ....

... go ahead and laugh, you will be here one day too.

How many water bottles do four people need?

Very much a bike friendly town.

Bike paths running all over town.

A bike shop / bike fit / bar ....

that welcomes these folks.

Flags on street corners without traffic lights.....

to aid in crossing the street by foot.

My race: Not being in top form this year I was unusually nervous the few days prior to my race. Once I admitted to myself that it did not matter where I placed in the race but mattered more that I had fun, I was instantly freed of my nervousness. Obviously I would make an effort to stay ahead of the riff-raff off the start, but for the most part, my goal was just to ride and ride hard.

On the opening climb, I found the wheel of a rider from Roaring Mouse that seemed about my climbing pace. My heart rate was maxed out with the steep hill and being higher altitude than I am accustomed to at home. The course, which had some flaws, forced riders off to push up a super steep short ramp to get onto the singletrack. This put me over the edge a tad and my mount was a tad slower than roaring mouse. I quickly coasted my way back onto her wheel in several hundred feet. First switch back came and it was jammed up with women walking. Already I was in traffic. Two turns later and the same thing, this time roaring mouse fell walking and made it very difficult to get past as she jumped back up and mounted again, but she never really got going. I saw a narrow opportunity to pass on the high side and took it, I may have startled her, but she was trying hard not to let all of us by, and she seemed to be struggling with her bike handling.

I’m glad I made that move because the next turn had been added in the day before and none of us had pre-ridden it. I came in a tad hot and my front wheel drifted out side the berm, and I was hanging on stretching the tape. Those big wheels held on perfectly and I brought myself back on track without even a foot down. I heard a bunch of noise behind me, and I was glad to be in front of it. Flew over the flyover and headed toward the imported rock garden. Yes, they imported rock and made a rock garden. Imagine that? We just call it riding in New Jersey.

World champion, Ellen Gutherie called herself coming around before the rock garden. She got about twenty feet in and tangled up. I managed to find a line and ride past her to the end. All was going well up to the big climb, and then I hit traffic. I was now penetrating the back end of the younger classes, and this trail was less than 24 inches wide and very side hill exposed leaving no room to pass. If it were just a short single climb, it would not be so bad, but it was like this for almost a mile. I spent way too much mental and physical energy trying to pass and being forced off my bike to push up climbs so steep that it nearly cramped my legs. I will not dwell on the negative thoughts of this course too much more, as up is only half. Too bad the promoter did not have two good trails, one to go up and one to go down. It was a disappointing climb that left me wishing I was riding my bike elsewhere. Thankfully the way down was a blast.

I was lacking my spark on race day, and finished 6th in an unusually large group of strong 50 year olds. Not too bad for what I have put in this year, but by no means a great race for me. I came to this race with an open mind, and to support my team mates. My teammates did not let me down, but the course was a bit of a disappointment. As much as I love racing, after seventeen years, I may be feeling a bit more selective of which race courses to race in the future.

Imported rocks to add interest to a buffed out XC course.

Campmor skirts getting us a photo op with the Mayor of Sun Valley.

Tara, National Champion in Super-D.

.....Four Friends.

What made this trip worthwhile was to see Tara ride so well. After she spent 4 years out of racing, struggling with her health and thinking she would never race again, it was awesome to see her in a National Champion Jersey on top of the podium. It was a good day and a good trip for sure.

Les is More

2011-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, the growing trend to ride big wheeled mountain bikes, has finally found it’s way to pixy. Let me introduce “Les”, my new 29er. Some may say, it’s about time and others may ask why, but here is my story of how Les can be more.

Over the past few years, 29ers have become very popular, particularly for racing, and it makes good sense. The bigger wheel rolls over stuff better than the little wheel eliminating some of the desire for full suspension, while keeping the platform quite efficient. During the early days of 29ers, little sizing was limited, but now many companies offer small sizes, and everyone was telling me to check them out.

What I found out is that most 29ers fit everyone else and not so much me, and then one day I saw that Lynskey was making one very close to my size, and I began to ponder about a possible big wheeled bike for myself, perhaps from Titus, since their bikes fit me well. Last November Titus went bankrupt, which blew the wind out my 29er imagination sails, and I quickly accepted the fact that this was not to happen for a good reason.

Then in January Industry Nine offered me sponsorship, and I knew it was time to re-open the big can of worms and find another custom frame builder to build a frame to accompany the new 29er wheelset. I was not sure if I should go steel or ti. Because the tubes would be small, I thought that ride quality per dollar would be better for steel. Plus I had never had steel and wanted to give it a try. I looked at a bunch of frame builders, but kept going back to Siren. The Siren had an intriguing bent top tube and beautiful curves. It just looked like it was meant for me.

I contacted Brendan, the builder to ask questions because I thought I could get by with a standard small frame. After some discussion, he assured me that I could get all that I was looking for in a custom frame. We came up with an in between medium and small geometry with more stand over height. For those interested, the materials used were as follows:

- Down tube 35mm 858 butted
- Seat tube 28.6mm externally butted
- Top tube single bend, True Temper OX Platinum
- Chainstays S-bend
- Seatstays S-bend
- Dropouts - Paragon windowed sliders w/ titanium hardware

The frame was built very quickly, but the paint process took several months because I had it powder coated at Spectrum Powederworks. The powdercoat job was outstanding, but I had to wait my turn to get that done.

The Ride: After a few weeks of riding all sorts of terrain, one race, and two festivals, where the bike acted like a guy magnet, I am giving this bike a BIG thumbs up. The overall ride is really nice, smooth and very solid with the big wheels. This is my first steel bike and I like the buttery ride. The big wheels DO really roll over stuff with ease, and the rear tire hooks up when climbing, like a goat. I have heard people talk about sluggish handling, but I do not get that impression at all. Last Sunday at Lewis Morris Race I was really appreciative to have a hard tail and the big surprise was that my back did not hurt afterwards from all those roots, like it usually does. I did not have a great day for my legs, but still finished 6th in the pro/open, which is a good.

I would like to send a big thanks to Industry Nine for making an outstanding wheel set that performs as well as it looks, and also for investing in me as a sponsored racer. Without this, I may not have ended up with this type of first 29er experience. I look forward to many more big wheeled rides down the trail.

Next stop ... National Championships in Sun Valley, ID. So now you have it, Les can be more.

BIG Celebration Weekend!

2011-06-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

Jorbafest

Summer is here, and what better way to celebrate summer than to share your summertime passion to ride a bike with others. This past weekend was jam packed with sharing at the 2011 Jorbafest. Hundreds of volunteers came out to help pull off this wonderful day at Allamuchy. The weather was perfect and mountain bikers of all ages came out to do their thing with others.

6/16/11 : My weekend started early with a Thursday morning ride with my friend Patty at Stephens State Park . This was not just “a ride” but a premier tour of this park I rarely get to ride, and my first major ride on a 29er. Yes, pixy has BIG wheels in a BIG way. What a great ride we had, as I instantly fell in love with the ride of the big wheels and steel frame on the flowing single-track. Stoked from my ride, I jumped right out into the woods again later that afternoon and worked four hours up at Ringwood during Jorba’s Dirty Thursday work session. We worked on the Ringwood/Ramapo re-route. That trail is coming along nicely, and may be open in a few more Thursdays.

6/18/11 : Alarm at the White house had us up at 5:00 and on the road before 6:30. First on the agenda was to build “Pump the magic dragon”, the portable pump track that Art had built that week. The pieces were nested together nicely in the truck with a few bikes and cooler, but would need to be unloaded and put together. All that went well and by 9:00 both Art and I were gathering to lead or sweep a ride.

I was on schedule to lead an advanced women’s ride, and this in itself is amazing that there are enough qualified women to even have this ride. We actually gave the guys a head start, so that we would have the first trail more to ourselves, but we caught up to the guys anyway. My group had a few DH chicks that expressed interest in more technical, and here I was on this strange BIG wheeled hardtail. I was feeling a bit unsure of myself on a new bike, but the BIG wheels kept rolling like a charm. We had an awesome 17 mile ride of about 3 hours, including Lumpy Bumpy and a section of the Highlands Trail. I am proud to say that New Jersey terrain has created some very skilled female riders.

an afternoon of fun....

...for the whole family.

And if Jorbafest was not enough fun, Dar, Tara, Art and I were off to NEMBA festival at Huntington State Park in Ct where Team Campmor was teaching a women's clinic on Sunday. This was Dar's home turf and she has been a BIG supporter of Jorba and we all wanted to help her give back to her home state parks.

Wherever your home trails may be, invest BIG in them and reap BIG smiles of riding down the trail.

Summer Arrives in the Jungle

2011-06-01T11:15:00.001-07:00

After dozens of rainy days that have dominated our spring in New Jersey, the sun has finally come back to us and started to heat things up in the Jungle.... Jungle Habitat, that is. A quick little pre loop down lower shute, and I quickly see that the "I dig Tuesday" elves have been very busy. Thanks to Jorba and Team Town Cycle for trail repairs. Torrential rains had washed out many trails this past winter and spring, and it is good to see some love going back into the trails. I noticed that the "umbilical cord" is now a feature, as you must slither and duck to get around it.

The rain has also brought a bumper crop of extremely healthy looking poison ivy. Riders beware! I rode Rhino clockwise and found it to be very enjoyable in that direction. The laurel starting to bloom on that trail are spectacular right now, and giant mushrooms are already starting to form. So, not all the results of heavy rain are seemingly bad.

Gifts of Spring Showers

2011-05-16T06:08:00.001-07:00

Campmor H2H Series #1 - Wawayanda

2011-05-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

So here I am again, just one year later at my racing season opener. Once again, it is good to get out to the races and see all the familiar faces. I got there early to set up the Jorba/Paydirt tent next to the Campmor Neutral Support area, and to see Adrienne off for her Cat 3 start. It was a beautiful day, and it felt great to be at a race again. I had a chance to mingle with some of the first time racers and absorb all their excitement. During a time when many people are without jobs and complaining for what they think are very good reasons, it is really nice to be somewhere filled with happy people who feel they have a purpose that day. Mountain biking is awesome! Even after a week of emotional nonsense, I am 100% glad to be racing and part of all that I have pledged myself to in this sport.

My race: I lined by chance behind my class winner, which got me off to a great start. I had a lull of a few seconds when I hit the hill to the feed zone, and a few women passed me. During those few seconds I was wishing for a hard tail, but in a minute I will be very glad to have my FS. I hung in mentally and kept pushing over the hill. Things came together, and Ellen and I passed those few back up the next grade. I hung tight to Ellen into the single track in 4th place. I rode smooth, but when it started to push up hill, Ellen stood and rode away.

By the time I hit "the bowl" (rock garden by the cut in the log), I had caught up to the first man who was off walking. I rode right through the rocks perfectly and encouraged him as he got on his bike in front of me. He bobbled the top in the preferred line and I tried to ride around but got hung up on a rock. I did a quick run around and noticed Marianne coming up the hill behind me. My heart rate had been in the upper 170’s since the start, and I was feeling stomach cramps coming on. I knew I needed to back off a tad to hold them back, so I called Marianne by to pass. By the time I reached the end of the trail, I could see Dar was only a few hundred feet back.

I kept it rolling, but planned to keep my pace down until my stomach felt settled. Dar passed me by the end of the white dot trail and I was pretty sure that by the end of Mojo, I would be good to go again. I was hoping I could hold off any more women. I could see women behind me in the twisty sections of early Mojo, and my concentration was off a bit as I bobbled some really simple stuff in the beginning of the trail. Amazingly, all the hard stuff later down the trail I nailed. Just as predicted, I was good to boogie by the armored water crossing near the end of the trail. Big ring, and off I went. No more stomach issues.

I never saw another woman during the race, but passed a bunch of men, one man even twice. I ended up starting to get leg cramps on lap three, but rode steady for the last half and held them off to finish 6th in the elite pro/open of 13 women. It was a great first race of the season. I really love a bike handlers course, and this race was one for sure. As much as things were hurting at the end of my race, the course kept me engaged and racing until the end.

I kicked back on Saturday and made some Campmor skirts and took part in my pre-race ritual, painting toenails.

So Really, How Much is Enough?

2011-04-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

If the title of this blog post sounds familiar, your “blink” impression has served you correctly. All you have to do is look to this time last year, and you will find my blog post titled “How Much is Enough”. You may wonder, why do I dwell on this? So, I looked back over my training log, and although I thought I had adjusted my overreaching and resting ratio this year to avoid any un timely needed rest, and I still seemed to be in the same place just days before the first race saying "Why am I sick with a cold and feeling like I am done racing altogether?"

As always, the biggest question is determining whether this feeling is physiological or psychological. This year with the help of Ken, my coach to guide me in the physiological department, I am looking much harder at the psychological part, and with me it almost always seems to be psychological. So I have decided that I might benefit more to take a good look at what I HAVE accomplished, and not what I think I may NOT be able to accomplish.

If I take a brief look back to seventeen years ago when I first swung my leg over a mountain bike, I was hardly a racer type. I got onto a bike only in hopes to get back in shape after having back surgery. I entered my first race merely to be with my friends. Competition was not a priority to me I thought, but quickly I found that it could serve as motivation for personal goals. Seventeen consecutive years of racing and 250 races later, I have gone from Cat 3 to Cat 1 and claimed 2 National Champion Titles and 2 World podium spots. I have only DNF’d one race in all that time, and managed to get out and race every year, even with injuries and having Lyme Disease. Consistency, keeping it fun and giving back have been the threads that have held me in this sport this long.

Racing can be very intense, and to be a pro, no doubt you need to make your training a top priority. But for the rest of us average middle age folks, we more often than not need to keep things real and keep balance in our lives. Making priorities, and then readjusting them periodically helps, but sometimes you just need to walk away from something with your mind if only for a bit. This is where I feel lucky. Any time I feel down on myself in my daily training, I can just walk away with my mind and go build a trail, or teach a woman to ride a rock garden, and I am instantly reminded why I love this sport, and I feel fulfilled in knowing that in some way I have passed that on to another person. This works both ways as well. If I put all my efforts into trying to open a new awesome trail, and then the proposal does not get approved by the park, I can put it away and go race hard on Sunday. Keeping a broad base in the sport and finding balance has been key.

The intertwining of my involvement in this sport has greatly been influenced by Paydirt founder, Sarah Frost. Although she was not much of a racer, she was onto something when she 1. held her first "All Girl Day". 2. Brainstormed the "Paydirt" concept with Wally Tunison. and 3. Held her first "Jorba" meeting. She always got involved where she could. These efforts played a huge role in the sustainability of mountain biking in the Garden State in the years to follow and still do today. Little did I know that I would be involved in carrying on some of these in my own small way. I can only hope that others will find value in these things and carry them on when my role is over.

So to get back to the question: “How much is enough?”, the answer could actually be: "All of It!"

My message to all: .... Get out and ride your bike. Ride for fun or ride hard. Look around and love what you see in that special place in the woods. Make an effort to get involved in protecting that special place, and try to share all of this with someone else.

Peace

Asheville

2011-03-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

So now that I have had a week to digest, here is my recap of my trip south. First off, my trip had several purposes: 1. to accompany Art to The Sustainable Trails Conference in Asheville, and 2. to visit Art’s family only an hour or two out of Asheville. Not in my original plans, but I also got to visit Industry Nine, and pick up my wheels (see previous post). … and of course my master plan is to ride my bike as well, but you all know that.

The Conference in Asheville:
It was kind of cool pulling up to the hotel with a” Welcome Professional Trail Builders” sign. It appears that in these parts, mountain bikers are viewed as the good guys. The Conference: was presented by The Professional Trail Builders Association, and attracted people from many places including far off places like Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. Art and Mergs attended a two day “Road to Trail” workshop. They worked on the Jim Branch Trail in Dupont State Forest. The majority of the work was done by machine and they had a chance to learn machine design concepts.

The Riding:
My first few days of riding were at Bent Creek right outside of Asheville. This area is an Experimental Forest Research area with recreational use allowed. It was Saturday, and this place was jamming with all sorts of bikers and pedestrians. The trails were a mix of forest service roads and what they call single track: It is actually 4 to 6 feet wide and smooth. There was plenty of climbing, after all this is big mountain country, and the single track looked to be all machine bench cut across the hillside with berms and rollers. The trails were designed with flow in mind. They were way fast and fun. It was encouraging to see that mountain bikers had such a strong influence in trail design in recreational use planning. This is something that some of us in New Jersey are still working towards.

By recommendation of a bike shop, Art and I rode Black Mountain in Pisgah. Well, we did not 100% follow the shop instructions. They told us to do 13 miles of roads to get to 8 mile of single-track. We said “the heck with that, we will just ride the single-track out and back”. It was a beautiful area that followed along a rushing stream. Eventually, it got so steep and eroded that we ended up walking a bunch. I actually walked some down as well. Needless to say we were very disappointed in the trail design, but managed to have a good ride. However, the so called 8 miles of single-track got us back to the car in a little over an hour. We then loaded up the bikes and drove to Dupont for some more riding. Although I don't get paid, I love this job.

The riding at Dupont was really nice. The trails seemed to be very well designed, but maybe a little less technical. Perhaps that is why Pisgah gets the good reviews. I just get so many rocks at home, that I do not feel the need to ride a drainpipe to get them. I also got a chance to check out the work that Art and Mergs did a few days before, and it looked pretty cool. Once again we passed more mountain bikers on the trails and a few families as well. Perhaps the less technical trails attract more bikers. Either way it was nice to see so many mountain bikers out riding.

I was sitting in the car staring ahead and trying not to get sick while Art was driving to his sister’s house, and I realized that these roads are no different than our trails, just a bit bigger and paved. They all had the same berms, low angle climbs, and water shedding design. It took driving in a wet mountainous area to see this. To see more on this, check out my Ashevile video in my gallery: http://gallery.me.com/ellenandart#100478

All in all, it was a worthwhile trip. We all got a chance to speak with other trail builders and got a chance to sample some machine built trails. What impressed me the most was how mountain bikers had become professional trail builders and found a way to fund trail building projects through a seminar. It allowed mountain bikers to fund their own needs and not put that responsibilty on the forest service. As for trails in N.C., they seemed really nice, but not even close to some of what northern New Jersey has to offer. The more I travel, the more lucky I feel to live where I do. Oh, did I mention that I love my Job.

12 hours in a car makes me nuts!

Going Big .... Industry Nine Style

2011-03-19T14:38:00.001-07:00

On my recent trip to North Carolina, I had the opportunity to stop in and take a tour of the Industry Nine factory. I am honored to be sponsored by a company that makes such outstanding US made products: hubs/spokes. When I drove up the factory, I saw the number on the mail box but noticed the building had another name on the front door. I wasn't sure that I was in the right place, until I saw a tree full of bicycle rims. ....and I thought the rims were made in china, but now I wonder (wink, wink) if they grow on trees right here in the USA.

Industry Nine is part of a larger Company that specializes in CNC machining and has a whole warehouse full of computer navigated machines. I got to see the whole process from....

a pile of raw aluminum stock....

to a hub shell.

even the spokes are made exactly to their proprietary design.

they are then run through several washes, charged in a special tank to accept anodization that makes many beautiful colors.

The hub is very well designed with stepped sets of pawls and ratchet.

All hand built in what I call the candy factory, making light, stiff instant engaging wheels in enough beautiful colors to satisfy any color craving biker and pixy.

Land of Sun

2011-02-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

No doubt, it has been a long, cold and snow-filled winter in New Jersey and most of the northeast. So, when four mountain bikers boarded a plane destined for Arizona, there was much excitement and anticipation to ride our mountain bikes in sunshine. Once in my seat on the plane, I rolled up my puffy down coat and put it away for a week…. well, that was what I thought.

Destination: Wild Outdoor World of Arizona “WOW”, an amazing restored natural habitat oasis that draws butterflies, insects, birds and a plethora of wild animals, and coincidentally has 40 miles of mountain bike trails out the backyard.

http://blog.wowarizona.com/

We arrived late, when it was dark, and we went to sleep in anticipation of the week ahead. In the morning, the first sound I heard was a familiar “wheet, wheet” of the Curve-billed Thrasher. Nearly a year had passed since I heard that sound, and instantly, I was back home with it. We live in a world co-mingled with noise pollution, and being able to step outside of our man-made world, if only for a bit with our ears can be peaceful and rejuvenating. I draw back the blinds and see blue sky over beautiful mountains.

Six days of riding in sun.....

a sun so strong, that it bakes.

These may look friendly, but the desert has a harsh side.....

with a small price to pay.

Alcohol enhanced electrolyte elixer ...aka: "margarita"

Some surprise snow to ease us back to NJ weather

Puffy coat comes out for the ride to the airport.

Happy birthday MA!!

Feline and Frozen

2011-02-15T11:18:00.001-08:00

It had been 7 or 8 weeks since I had ridden a mountain bike in the woods. Frozen snowmobile tracks made that possible today. I mounted my studded cheetah and off we went. Keeping in touch with your handling skills may not be something first on the list for some mountain bike racers, but it is a ritual I try to practice. Besides keeping you upright, uninjured and not broken down in a race, It can be sooo good for the spirit. Today was no exception.

Good Find

2011-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

After being bombarded with cheap beer commercials during football playoffs, I have decided to offer the unusual and perhaps un-patriotic to some, ...... a pre-Super Bowl French wine review.

2007 Bernard Latour Cotes du Rhone

Red Rhone blend from the southern region of France.
2007, was reported by the sales person that sold me this bottle, as a very good year for this region.

My personal but non expert review: Medium bodied, fruity, blackberry-plum, maybe a hint of spice with delicate tannins and very smooth. Simple and ready to drink as a deliciously smooth table wine. Perfect for Super Bowl. $12.

Soup Time

2011-01-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

Yam-Ginger Coconut Curry Soup garnished with pistachios

Yes, it is soup season again, and I have made some adjustments to an old favorite of mine. This time, I have added some curry and coconut milk to yam-ginger-squash soup. I started with a base of chicken broth, and roasted yams and squash, all made the day before. I cooked chopped ginger in oil for 5 minutes. Then added the yam, squash and curry and cooked a few more minutes. I then added the chicken broth and lightly simmered for 30 minutes. Let cool and blend or process until smooth. Stir in coconut milk.

Pre-Snow Ride

2011-01-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

a sparkle-eyed pixy on a winters ride

With a big snowstorm approaching, it did not take too much arm twisting to find a few souls to go out on one more road ride, even if the temps were in the twenties. Thankfully, Campmor is my sponsor, because just about everything I wore today, and it was a lot, came from the Campmor store. That place is great for keeping an outdoors person warm. Once we got going, I was quite warm on the inside. Thank you dearly Campmor!

As we rode, the sky was dark and reminded me too often that it was still only January, and as you can imagine, this was a bit of a disappointment when all I can do is dream of summer. We were glad to have buddies today, as I do not think any of us would have ventured out by ourselves under these conditions, but we did as a team, and it was good. Three frozen water bottles and 25 miles later we completed our adventure and were feeling better for getting outside. Sometimes half the battle is just getting out the door. Once outside, the right gear and some friends can make for a great time, so don't be afraid to get outside to play!

At the top of 106 trying to get psyched for the cold descent back.

Snow Sparkle Days

2010-12-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

When my sacred woods become covered under a blanket of snow, it is time to strap on the cross-country (XC) skis and go explore this strange new topography. Although riding my bike is my favorite thing to do, seeing the woods covered with snow is very beautiful, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to journey into the woods under these circumstances.

Art and I were surprised to find a XC specific machine groomed double track at the local park where we ski. We took it to the top of the climb, but then decided to venture off the groomed and break our own track towards the lakes and around. Dense snow conditions made breaking super smooth, and there is something special about seeing and feeling a consistent virgin sea of white in front of you as you ski. Tiny snow flakes lit up the floor like jewels in the sun.

Once we reached the first lake, we realized that we were pressed for time to make it all the way around before darkness. We opted to take a hiking trail as a short cut. Try to imagine 2 people negotiating a 2 ft wide twisty catwalk elevated 30 feet above a lake, with 6 ft skis on their feet. A few laughs and some not so pleasant words later, we reached the other side and were able to connect with another skiers tracks.

Although our heads were down trying to make it back by dark, the next hour was incredible as the sun began to set. First, the ground and the tree tops turned a glowing peach color. Then around a bend and all went blue as the sun dipped. By the time we were near the parking lot, the sky was on fire as the sun finally set. ….Once again, an epic outing chasing the sun home.

Big Snow

2010-12-28T10:44:00.001-08:00

above photos all taken by Art with my new mini camera, that was tucked in my pocket while shoveling all day.

Ringwood Ice Hike

2010-12-26T11:38:00.001-08:00

nice hiking trail

wilted cactus

me and my mom

Short Days

2010-12-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

photo by Art

My first amaryllis bloom chose to open on the solstice.

Crossing the Line

2010-12-13T14:49:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday was my last cyclocross (CX) race of the season. If you asked me on Oct 15, before my first CX race this year, if I would be racing CX in December, I would have said, no. Last year my CX season ended with me feeling burned out and I questioned if I had done the right thing by upgrading to Cat 3. I told myself that I just raced too long into the season, and I would not do that again.

This past year has been incredible, and I have come leaps and bounds with figuring out what cross is all about and how to extend my fitness into the fall. This past season I did 9 CX races, won 2 of those races plus some cash, and diced it up with some pretty fast ladies. So here I am, 2 weeks into December, writing my last race report for 2010:

Hudson Valley Cross (HVCX) was a small race just north of New Jersey that was being put on by my friends Tim and Ed. Yes, December 11 is a tad late in the season to still be racing, but these guys put together great courses and I wanted to show my appreciation and support the event. In addition, they had a decent payout, so I had the chance to win some cash while having a hoot.

Unfortunately, the turnout was really light, but the venue was as nice as I expected, nestled in a small park overlooking the Hudson River. Everyone was cheery when I arrived, and I quickly hopped out and walked the course with my camera to see all the little berries and views that I would inevitably miss during my race when I would be tearing my lungs out chasing girls around the course.

At this point I did not really feel like I was in a racing mood. I had only been on my bike Tuesday the week before and was feeling stiff from not exercising. On top of that I drank a few glasses wine with dinner the night before. I am telling you this, but not necessarily advising anyone to do this. I usually avoid or limit the amount of alcohol consumed the night before a race, but had let that rule slip as well as a few other dietary restrictions for the last race of the year. I had already begun to let my guard down for the holidays.

There were only 3 women that took the line in the open/elite field. Even sadder was that there were no men elite’s at all. Us ladies were the main event, and only a handful of people, mostly our husbands gathered around to cheer. Christina’s husband, Tommy was the lap horn blower. The whole setting was actually very comforting, considering the pain that would be unleashed in seconds.

Once under way, the leader set a hard pace that put me in a bother, but I did manage to hold her wheel. I have the advantage of pushing a little harder into my fitness because my bike handling skills are second nature from racing a mountain bike for 17 years. So although I felt close to out of control, I was able to keep it upright and stay on the bike in the first technical section.

I eventually found my stride and I decided to take a risk and pass the leader on a long straight. My thinking was that if I could stay in front to the first turn, I could put some distance on her in the twisting decent. It worked, and I held pretty steady at about 8 seconds ahead for 2 laps. Putting the gas on to pass, had my stomach on the verge of cramping. Once I got leveled out, I was able to pull away increasing the gap even more, ending the race and the season on a very positive tone. At the time I crossed the finish line, I crossed the line from my race season to winter. From that day on, my eyes will be looking to 2011.

Sunday as rain fell, I stayed in the house and decorated my Christmas tree like people do this time of year. I was not a bike racer that day. I did not even think about riding my bike. I drank more wine with dinner and enjoyed the feeling of being done. Monday I got out for my first winter ride, and it started to snow. How perfect, I thought.

Dan, my pick for most improved mountain biker of the year!

You Lucky Dinges

2010-12-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

Now with a December cyclo-cross race behind me, and a muddy one at that, I feel as if I am one step closer to being a real cyclo-cross racer. As the first muddy race of the year, I was surprisingly quite comfortable with riding in the mud. I guess one can really appreciate things once you go without them for awhile. I'm not sure if all the ladies felt as sentimental about the mud as I did, but my race year may not have felt complete without some mud.

One of the not so good parts about late season cross is the ice and cold. I saw a bunch of guys go down in the morning on the icy trails, and was real thankful to have a later start with more mud than ice. I wore just about every article of clothing I owned and was quite toasty while riding. I'll admit, the hanging out in the cold all day was beginning to get to me, but I did my best to deal with it. I actually warmed up on my trainer while wrapped in a blanket.

My race started off well, getting right to the front which successfully got me through the first mud bog cleanly. Unfortunately for a few others, there was a bit of of a pile up in the mud hole. It may seem really bad to fall in the mud, but in 15 minutes we all were going to be covered in mud anyway. It was really slippery. I was fighting to keep it upright around every turn. Sometimes a tire would just let go on the flat and turn me sideways. It was great practice for my balance and my ability to nurse for traction and still try to put the power down.

As each lap went by, what I could grip on was disappearing, and I started to get brambles tangled in my wheels and drive train. I tried to push ahead but felt like I kept losing places. I was so glad to hear the bell for the last lap. At that point my front derailieur was so clogged with mud that it would not work and I was small ring only. Legs burning, I gave it the final push, and held a 5th place finnish. I received some cash and a cool lucky horseshoe. What sealed the day was the belgian wafel with "speculoos" topping that Art bought for me after the race.

CX at Greystone

2010-11-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

Frog in training ...take the leap.

...another kind of leap.

It was all business down the boulevard in front of Greystone "ward 40" at the start of my race.

Greystone, now with most it's windows boarded shut, was home to great depression era folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie, who suffered from Huntington's disease. Guthrie, most famous for writing "This Land is Your Land".

This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.

I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.

Taking a moment to chill after my race, where I found this tree, ..... Woody's "magic tree" ? It looked near dead, but it's roots went deep.
... is this land really for you and me?

Dragonflies and Newts

2010-11-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

After two weeks off the mountain bike and three weeks off of Ringwood, it really felt good to get back out in the woods this week. It is amazing how my weekly visits into the woods affect me in a positive way. Until I go without, I do not see the value of this ritual.

I spent a few weeks healing a shoulder, and fighting the first signs of winter, and now I am gifted a healthy body and fall-like conditions. Moderate temperatures have returned, and fallen leaves have made open views of the sky and left piles of leaves on the trail. I would say, that I am not a big faller, but these leaves have me diving over the handlebars more often than usual. None of this bad, just all part of where I am today, and I am very happy to be alive and experience the fall and my yearly passage though the seasons.

Today was a birthday, and three friends rode together in celebration. We stopped along a beautiful swamp-side. The sun beat down on us and dragonflies adorned the birthday girl. As I noticed the newts swimming in the shoreline, I realized we were also taking advantage of these last few warm days and preparing for winter. Sad at times, but a reality we all must face and use to motivate us to move ahead in life. As always, great to be a mountain biker.

Fall Colors

2010-10-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Ringwood

Wawayanda

Ringwood

Wawayanda

Deer Park

Deer Park

Building Trails In New Jersey

2010-10-10T10:41:00.001-07:00

Oct 9 : IMBA Trail Care Crew visit to Ringwood State Park and Sterling Forest hosted by Jorba.

I would like to extend a big thanks to all the volunteers that took the time to come out to attend this seminar. It was really inspiring to see so many enthusiastic trail builders in attendance on a beautiful fall day. Yes, we all want more trails, but those that take the time to come out and get in the know, make the difference between good trails and great trails. Thank you!

A large group of enthusiastic trail builders piled into the Sterling Forest Visitors Center for a very detailed classroom presentation about building sustainable trails. In that group were mountain bike trail builders from parks such as: Ringwood, Ramapo, Wawayanda, Jungle Habitat, Sourlands, Allamuchy, Allaire, Highbridge NYC and Grahm Hills to name a few.

Seminar presented by Chris and Leslie Kehmeier of IMBA.

Chris and Leslie's traveling home, that brings trail knowledge to people around the world.

In the afternoon, volunteers went out into the woods of Ringwood to work on a trail in need of love....

and put their new found knowledge to use, by re-routing an eroded section of fall line trail.

By the end of the day, the old trail was reclaimed. Can you find the old trail?

... and the new trail was complete.

We all had a great time as well.

Monkeys, Acorns and Traumeel

2010-09-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the H2H series race took place at Jungle Habitat. The once defunct safari theme park in the 70’s, now bike specific park is built and maintained by Jorba mountain bikers and Team Town Cycle. Town Cycle trail builders pride them selves in building the toughest, rockiest and in my opinion the least flowing trails on the race circuit. This race is known for being a bike handler’s course and not a racers course, all good to me, by the way.

The promoters granted us 40+ women our own start, so Campmor filled the entire line-up. After a good start, I got a little bogged down through the Warthog trail, but did not worry because the race is plenty long to settle in and sort out before the end of three laps. After the Fence Line descent, I cut back through the fence into the cages and miscued on a slightly upward tight turn. I applied some torque to the pedals to pull me out of the stall and as I reached the top, my bike was pulled out from under me, and I was on the ground with my hand screaming at me. I sat myself up slowly, with all attention to my hand stinger. I made a fist and opened and closed my fingers and although it hurt, I could move everything. Realizing I was still in one piece, I picked myself up and assessed the damage. After a brief go over, I saw that I had no gaping holes with blood gushing out and I decided it was ok to proceed with my race.

Within 50 feet, I noticed that rear braking and holding the handle bar was painful and for some strange reason, someone was throwing acorns at me. I adjusted my grip, and was doing ok through Tiger, but wondered how I would fare the Goat Trail. The first turn in Goat went well, and I managed to get over the big rock and through the nasty boney part, but I soon had a racer bearing down on me that did not offer any communication. I tried to speed up a tad, but went down in the next turn. He ran by, and although I was a little frustrated, I felt better that he was in front of me, so that I could figure out if I could finish this race or not.

I had a good clean ride up chute, and not being a quitter, I opted to try 2 more laps in hopes that endorphins would set in, and I could find out who the heck was throwing acorns at me. About one lap later, the endorphins finally set in, and I had a decent last lap, where I bridged back up to the women’s field to finish as the fourth overall woman. This was probably not a top finish, but considering the circumstances, I was happy to finish and take the NJ champion title for Campmor. As for the acorns, it is a mystery to me. I heard rumors that ghosts of monkeys exist in the Jungle, but that sounds like a chapter in “Weird New Jersey”. I think you may need to go up there and find out for yourself.

As for Traumeel, that stuff is great! http://www.traumeel.com/
I am back on the bike today, and my bruised hand has healed nicely.

Colors and Textures on a Bike Ride

2010-09-05T13:33:00.001-07:00

909 Wake up Call

2010-08-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

photo by GTLuke

909 wake up call at 2:03 a.m.: stomach cramps. Later in the morning I had them as well. I thought things were under control, so with no food eaten since my 5:30 breakfast, I lined up to race at 1:00 p.m. Start got delayed, and I may have cooled down too much. Sounds familiar, right? I got dropped off the start and by the time I caught back up to the last rider, stomach cramps set in again. I do get them on occasion, and I back off a tad and they go away in 5 minutes. I catch back, no problem. Unfortunately, This time they went for 15 minutes and got really bad. Plus some of the ladies are getting stronger, and pixy is getting older, so catching back up is getting harder.

I was backed off to a crawl in the twisty single track after the road climb. The twists nearly made me dizzy. Then everyone was out of site, and I was by myself … the last rider. This was not a new feeling, as I spent the first 3 years as a Cat 1 racer being the last rider on course. I just had not been there in awhile.

I had a moment of feeling sorry for myself and wanted to stop, but I thought about the ladies that were not lucky enough to race that day: Jocelyn, Stacey and Rebecca, and I found the will to pedal through some stomach cramps, even if it was slow. My thinking is: a slow day on the bike is way better than a day on the couch. Then I hit a fast downhill and spotted the first photographer, Luke and I felt distracted enough from the pain to let it go from my mind. The drops were next, with all their excitement and some much appreciated cheering, and I was able to regain my composure on the big climb. The descent that followed was amazing fun and seemed to go on forever. By the time I got to the anthills (yes the course wound through a series of anthills), the cramps were gone, and I reeled in my first rider. From there on, the race went well and I passed 4-5 more riders and pulled myself up to 4th place.

I am so pleased with my new Titus X. This is my second race on her, and the suspension is slightly more active than the Racer-X, and allows the rear tire to hug the ground in the most technical terrain. The Fox 15mm fork is also another big improvement. I did not think I would notice these upgrades, but they are instantly noticeable. I don’t know if I could have sailed down those rutted descents with such ease on the old bike. The bike rides like a rocket ship. I also really like the Sram XX 2x10 drive train. Besides dropping a pound off my bike, the stuff works flawlessly and seems to have all the gears you need. I find, I can stay in the big ring for much of the races, but may need to rethink my shifting rhythms. The X is now my favorite bike in the stable, and a great all around XC bike.

An uncommon site to see a smile on pixy's face when there is air under the tires. I must really be trusting my bike these days, rolling a 6 ft drop without even a finger on the brake lever. ...photo by John Coog

Day One of Sell My Life

2010-08-14T14:32:00.001-07:00

Art and I arrive at the warehouse and open up the garage door. We proceed to clean up and price the last few pieces of furniture for our experimental going out of business/estate sale across from the farmers market. I call it experimental because the farmers market is opposite our warehouse and there will be a captive audience outside our door every Saturday. We really have no idea how to have a garage sale or estate sale, and we are not looking to make any big dollars at this, we just want to recycle what we can. So here begins day one of trying to unload 130 years of family stuff...

I drag some stuff onto the loading dock and stage an attraction: an old trunk, an antique typewriter, old basket, Chinese rug draped over the edge and a cattle skull. Art drags out a stereo, also for sale, to get some tunes going. We are noticed for sure. People start walking in yet I feel a bit uncomfortable with this whole thing. Art talks to a few people but no sales with the first few browsers. Then the cattle skull does it job and draws in the first potential buyer. An Antique typewriter and a wagon wheel are sold.

While Art is busy setting up a windsurfing sail for additional affect, I start filling in the history behind pieces to potential buyers. I tell them I am closing my family business dating back 130 years, selling a family estate and I realized I was selling a life-time of family stuff and all the memories that came with them as well. Every piece had a story, some accurate and some that may have been a tad fantasy enhanced dating back to my childhood. As soon as I told people where stuff came from, and the history behind it, they started buying stuff.

The skull sold too fast and I had to pull a broken stuffed fish out of the garbage can to replace the hook. Even the broken fish had a story: Citation king fish caught in the Florida Keys by my little brother in the 60’s on a family fishing excursion.

In a few hours, we recycled some stuff, made a few dollars and a lifetime of stories spilled out of my head. Day one as I sell my life was a good one. A lot of stuff still left to recycle, so I may do this again.

Eat Green ...Kale

2010-08-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

sausage, mushroom and kale over pasta

With the middle of summer, comes a wide array of readily available fresh fruits and vegetables. I try to get the most bang out each bite, by eating dark green leafy vegetables like Kale. Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is considered to be an anti-inflammatory. It is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale also contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.

Lacinato Kale: Cooked above with chicken sausage, leek, mushrooms, sherry and butter and then served over pasta with grated cheese and fresh basil. Tomato salad on the side makes a nice after ride meal on a summers night.

tomatoes, arugula and basil with olive oil

Out

2010-08-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

High Sierra Bound

2010-07-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

The woods were scorched by heat and nearly a month had gone by with very little rain. The trees on the tops of the mountains were dropping leaves in July. Finally, the day we leave, rain finds it’s way home. We go from stop and go traffic on New Jersey’s I 80 to a plane where we are delivered to stop and go traffic on California’s I 80. Too many cars in the world for sure, but I can forget the traffic for a moment because I am very glad to soon be visiting and riding my bike with an old friend in the Sierra mountains.

We drive up long winding roads that twist through the foothills to arrive at Debra’s house where we are greeted by a lizard on her back porch. Tall pines and manzanita surround her home, and it smells somewhat like the drought in New Jersey, but much more floral. I know instantly why she loves her home, as it is beautiful in her yard with a view east towards Donner Pass.

not too much luggage, just bikes

Day 1 : Pioneer Trail. We opt to ride local on the Pioneer trail just outside of Nevada City. Debra and her high school team helped build some of this trail several years back, so it was nice to ride with someone who’s signature was embedded in our day’s adventure. The trail followed a historic irrigation ditch. Often trail builders adopt old ditches and make them into mountain bike trails. They have little elevation gain and make easy use of steep terrain and already existing benching. I have ridden places where flowers or plants line the trail leaving a narrow path, but this trail had sections of pinecones covering the ground, leaving the dirt trail exposed. This is big pine tree land.

Day 2 : Lake Tahoe Epic. Debra hooked us up with Mario, a Tahoe local for somewhat of an epic ride. Mario arranged a shuttle run for us on the Tyrolean downhill. Our run got off to a shaky start when Mario slipped while walking on a berm and dislocated his shoulder. Being the closest to him, I was instructed to pull it back in, which made me a bit nervous, but did the job. He then went off his jumps as usual, and we caught our shuttle back up to Mt Rose. Not sure who this Mario guy is, but my guess is that he is some sort of local hard core mythological hero.

From there we rode south on the Rim trail to Marlette Lake and down Chimney Beach trail. The rim trail is very spectacular with numerous views of Lake Tahoe and snow tipped mountains. A heavy snowfall year made for incredible wild flowers along the trail. There was also quite a bit of climbing before reaching the highest point just over Marlette Lake. Five hours later, we finally arrived at the highway near dark for a five mile ride on the road back to Incline Village. As I rode, I watched the sun set over the lake. It was a spectacular and full day.

Day 3: Forest City. Lucky for us all, Art, while packing in the dark, forgot his helmet at Mario’s house, 100 miles from where we were the next day. Debra scored a loaner from Tom, who offered to show us around Forest City. Tom is not only a friend of Debra’s, but one of the trail builders at Forest City, who happens to be riding that day with another local trail builder and dirt expert “Fish”. We show up at the trailhead a little late, but find a helmet on the hood of car, grab it and head out onto the trail. We run into Tom and Fish sitting at the first intersection, and proceed to get the full history of the place.

After some history, we bombed down a forest service road together, and made an uphill turn, while being prompted by our leaders, onto a narrow, wall lined trail, which led us across an arched bridge. This was no ordinary trail bridge. It looked like a bridge that a troll would live under in an enchanted forest. Apparently, Zachi their trail building leader had quite an eye for beautiful stone work. From there we rode up several miles of 5% grade switchbacks made by machine. Not only was Zachi talented, but Fish was pretty amazing with his machine excavating. We finished up riding down Highgrade trail, which had a bit of a Kingdom Trails flavor. This trail was really fun. We all came out of the woods laughing.

When in the Downiville area, this place is worth checking out. Maps can be found here: http://www.mtbsingletrack.com/

Day 4: Spaulding Lake. Lake Tahoe is not the only beautiful lake in the area, they all are beautiful. Debra took us to Spaulding Lake for a short out and back to the waterfall. This trail was a bit more technical and rocky, and much more like home, even to the point of having more fall line hiking style trails. The trail varied from deep forest to rocky view points. This whole area was really special. We rode about five miles in to the secluded waterfall that spanned 60 feet across and 20 feet high. I stuck my feet in the stream and the water was COLD, like take your foot out soon because it hurts cold. So no swim for me that day, only a foot dabble.

Chimney Beach

more rim trail

Day 4: Rim Trail Monday, we headed back to Tahoe to visit with Sean and Georgette, and pick up Art's helmet along the way. We made a quick stop at Chimney Beach for a swim and then rode the southern section of the rim trail towards Heavenly. The flowers were amazing. It was uphill all the way, but well worth it for the return, downhill of course.

knightmares of Mt Snow

man in a tree

Art and Sean

last chance before Mr Toads (photo by Sean)

more big trees

Day 6: Mr Toads Wild Ride .... Need I say more? Rode with Sean.

Check out video here: http://gallery.me.com/ellenandart#100354

Farewell to an Era

2010-07-07T14:47:00.001-07:00

... of sand swept breezes

... sunsets and cocktails on the bridge

... walking barefoot

... and Dad. The memories will be with me forever.

***
What started as my vision 20 years ago, merged with my Dad's vision, transformed into decades of good times at the family beach house. The sun, the wind, the water, digging in the dirt, picking strawberries, shooting stars, glowing phosphorus, beautiful sunsets, weekends with friends and even the mocking bird are written in this glorious chapter of my life. But like all chapters, this one is nearly complete. It's hard to understand why, but over the years, the family grew, things changed. My Dad passed, and things changed once again. I can always re-read this chapter in my memories. All of that will be there forever, but a new chapter and all it's possibilities are soon to unfold.

Lewis Morris Race

2010-07-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

rain insurance boots

The race at Lewis Morris may not be my favorite course, but I have made it a personal challenge each year to make this race stand out from others by racing it on my single-speed. Once on a single-speed, the monotony of an endurance race becomes a game of playful extremes. Perseverance replaces discipline, and the thought of pacing oneself on a single-speed does not exist. My will to stay on my bike determines my pace. The race becomes a rhythmic chain of efforts, that are all different than racing with gears.

My race day started quite early, as I wanted to be there to support my friend, Adrienne who was participating in her first race. My big breakfast was long burned off by 11:00 and another small meal was needed, and somehow it did not feel like enough and I started my Heed mix. The start was delayed but I took advantage of as much shade as I could because it was once again real hot. By race start, I realized that I had once again under estimated my fluid needs, and only had a half a bottle of Heed left.

I felt good out of the blocks and surprisingly got a fantastic placement for the opening climb. There was a little bit of a shake down, but eventually we found our places by the top of the rooty climb. I was geared a little hard with a 32X18, a gear I had not felt strong enough to run there the past 3 years. The gearing felt just right for the start. I was prepared to suffer later in the race.

Out of drink mix, I was ecstatic when Adrienne handed me an icy bottle of water in the feed zone on lap two. Art had brought a cooler full of ice to put our drinks in and it was the best! By the start of lap three I had faded just a tad, and spotted Shasta 45 seconds back on the switchback. I dug a little deeper but my legs were screaming on every little uphill. My descending was actually getting better each lap as I became more relaxed and familiar with the grooves and contours.

I was handed another bottle of Heed for lap four, that was most likely a leftover from a teammate, and it sealed the deal for me. It was just enough to keep me hydrated, focused and able to rev the engines into the finish line in second place. I had no stomach cramps, which is something I struggle with, no leg cramps, conquered my gear selection and felt like I rode a very good race.

Enter Summer

2010-06-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

I see, feel and smell summer on every ride.. This is my favorite time to ride my mountain bike, and with a light race schedule, the past month has been more about riding and less about training or racing. I have tried to include a weekly slightly more epic ride at either Wawayanda or Allamuchy. Big less traveled parks filled with adventure, even if some of the trails are familiar, the woods are always changing. Trees fall down, ferns grow bigger, rain make streams, or a turtle decides to sit in the middle of a trail. I enjoy this time.

Asparagus

2010-05-31T13:48:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is asparagus season in New York/New Jersey. This weekend while visiting my family at our Long Island beach house, my sister in law purchased locally grown organic asparagus from Sang Lee Farms. They were brushed with oil , salt and pepper and grilled in a grill pan on the Bar-b-q. Then served over fresh greens also from Sang Lee Farms. My friend, Willy turned me on to grilled asparagus, and once you try it, you will be addicted. Eat up, and enjoy as they are good for you too...

Asparagus are a good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc, dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium. Nutrition studies have shown that asparagus is a low-calorie source of folate and potassium. Its stalks are high in antioxidants. "Asparagus provides essential nutrients: six spears contain some 135 micrograms (μg) of folate, almost half the adult RDI (recommended daily intake).

Ten

2010-05-08T06:24:00.001-07:00

The ferns have sprouted!
Trashed a brand new tire on glass.
Thankful for duct tape.

...plus a broken chain.

Just a #10 day to be outside

...wherever you are.

Food of the week: Papaya contains the valuable digestive enzyme, papain. These proteolytic enzymes also facilitate the break down of excess fibrin in the blood, avoiding potential heart attack. Papaya is believed to inhibit several types of bacteria, clam digestion and cleanse kidneys, liver and intestines. They also taste way better than a doughnut!

Season Opener

2010-05-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

photo by Art White

I am excited to report that the rain curse on the Campmor H2H series has finally been broken. May 2, 2010 marks a day of beautiful sunshine and oppressive heat that beat down on happy racers at Wawayanda State Park for the first race of the series this year.

Going to the start line on the tail end of a cold, I did not have great expectations for my own race. I had spent the last three weeks riding only 5 to 6 hours a week trying to recover from an elbow strain and a cold that hit me harder than the average cold. As soon as the race was under way, I surprised myself by getting off to a very good start. I guess that says something about being well rested.

My bike handled perfectly and whatever obstacles and traffic was thrown at me, I seemed to stay focused and floated through without getting flustered. By the time I reached the end of Sitting Bear Trail, the two pros and Serruto were already out of sight, but I sat in the front of the next group of women, who were all strong racers. Things separated out over the next few miles, and by the pines I found my placement for the race. At one point I got excited when I easily reeled in a big bunch of racers, only to find out that I was lapping the back end of the Cat 2 race. I felt a little bad when I came flying by on my first lap knowing that these racers had been at it for a few hours and were struggling to finish. So, I tried to offer them a few words of encouragement, knowing very well that I would be feeling like them in two more laps.

Somewhere in lap 2, Darlene bridged up to me. We may have traded places a few times, but she seemed to want me to set the pace, so I did. Willy had an unfortunate DNF, but was thoughtful enough to handle the feed zone for the team. He saved my day with a cold bottle for lap 3, as I had miscalculated and was out of water. I think I drank half the bottle in the feed zone. Unfortunately it was too late and my feet and calves were already cramping in the technical sections. On top of that my toe was screaming and it felt like my arms were going to fall off. I guess it was hot, but there were so many things that hurt, that I really did not notice the heat.

At the end of lap 3, Dar and I had several men in tow. Dar was talking with them, and I was so tired that the words went right through my head and did not register anything. I had to dig deep, but both Dar and I rode up the little stinker hill at the end. I knew I was in the home stretch and it felt so good. I encouraged Dar to pass me, but she would not and I was too tired to argue. We rolled into the finish line for first and second place, one right after another at three hours and twenty minutes. It was a very long challenging race, and although my climbing had room for improvement, my descending and technical handling was more than I would have expected. It was a good day to ride a bike.

A Backyard: Green and Full of Life

2010-04-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

How Much Is Enough ?

2010-04-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

As I sit at my computer on a sunny day, 51 years into my life, two decades into bike racing, feeling a little tired, a little apathetic and trying to ignor my aches and pains, I ask myself: “ how much is enough? ” Bike racers spend so much time riding and recovering, but finding the exact balance of those two elements of training can be difficult to figure out on your own.

I spent a lot of time on my bike this past weekend. It was an annual training weekend that I do every year. The event is made up of a casual group of 20 like-minded mountain bike racers who ride for 3 days, 14 hours, and with what seems like a gazillion feet of elevation gain. We sprint to graffiti, KOM at mailboxes and climb big hills by an unofficial clock. There is suffering, laughter and some more suffering. The only rule is that there will be no whining. We eat, ride, wash, rinse and repeat, all weekend long.

Last year I rested for a few days afterwards and tried to return to normal riding within the week, only to fall behind for a month. I’m not sure what I did wrong or what I thought I could do and could not, but this year I am resting longer and expecting less. It is good to put in some longer saddle time, but as a XC racer I am not sure if this many hours are needed. One good thing about doing long miles is that it helps build mental toughness, and everyone knows that climbing is 50% mental. In that respect, I find that long rides can be good training, but as soon as I lose sight of my true passion to ride a bike, it is time to look more towards quality and not quantity.

This leads me back to the title of this post… How much is enough? For those of you that have read these words in hopes to find the answer to this question that we all seek, I hate to disappoint you, but I still do not know. And as the next few weeks of my recovery unwind, I may not be any closer to knowing how much is enough in terms of hours on the bike, but I do know that a bike ride that ends with a smile is always better than one that does not.

For those of you that thought I meant something else ….

Some video from the weekend here: http://gallery.me.com/ellenandart#100310

Rain, Rain ... Now Spring

2010-04-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

do not know this fella's proper name, but lets call him "hope"

Way Out West - Camp Week

2010-03-16T06:08:00.001-07:00

The Purpose: March 5, 4:00 p.m.: As I step out of Tucson International Airport, I am greeted by a dear friend … “sunshine”. Marianne points to Tara who is standing in a sunny patch on the sidewalk. I step next to Tara and roll up my sleeves, tilt my head up and take in all that I can. I feel the sun and a gentle breeze that touches my arms in a way that is familiar but not been felt in a long time. As cyclists, we enjoy so many sensations that add to the beauty and excitement of riding a bike. In winter, many of these sensations are muffled and bound by the cold and all the many layers we wear to fend off the cold.

Finally I was here in the land of sunshine, standing on the sidewalk with 100 smiles burning inside of me. As I looked around, I realized Marianne, Tara, Patti and I were all in sync with each other, in sync with our surroundings and in sync with our purpose for being here; 500 laughs a day, sunshine and riding our bikes.

The Riding: Tucson has some good riding, but most importantly, the weather in March is wonderful. This year the weather was a little funky. They had been having a bit more rain than usual and frequent snow down to about 4000 ft. Although these conditions made for some beautiful snow topped mountains, the run off of rain and snow melt was much more than usual. Our access out the back yard previously took us across a sand pit or a few trickles of water, but this year we had a full river with current. Each day’s ride began and ended with some sort of adventure and wet feet. Our first day, I may have resisted that concept a tad, but after some great riding, some sunshine and laughs, the doubts dried up as quickly as my socks.

We experienced a good variety of riding, from rolling to long climbing and from swoopy to big drops and technical. Some trails were popular and some secluded. Different areas had different vegetation. You could ride whatever you pleased, just don't get too close to the vegetation. Out there the plants have an attitude all of their own, and need to be respected. One thing I did learn is that if you hit the cacti past the apex, you are less likely to take on as many needles. The cholla are a PIA, and I only got two chunks of them stuck to me during the week. One chunk stuck to my little toe through my shoe. They are barbed, and when I went to pull it out, it just pulled my toe back in forth in the shoe, until it finally let go. Although the plants can be intimidating at times, the whole riding experience is a perfect mix.

Ski to Ilgenstein

2010-03-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Last week the snow gods were good enough to gift us another snow storm. After 2 days of shoveling, it was time for me to get out of the house before I went crazy. The mountains, just north and west of us had received two to three feet of snow. This is an incredible amount of snow for New Jersey. Many of the parks had not plowed their lots and some were just plain closed from snow damage. The thought of riding through the woods on a bike was becoming a lost dream.

Ringwood had a few parking lots plowed, so I declared a new route ski mission: XC ski to Ilgenstein Rock from Skylands Manor. Normally this route is too rocky to ski, but there was close to three feet of snow up there with drifting in the higher elevations. Art and Nate were the only skiers to show up for my mission. I really had no idea how far it was or how long it would take. Art guessed 4+ hours and was skeptical about the whole mission.

10:15 we set out on skis behind the gardens on the crossover trail. A set of tracks was already set from the day before. It was slightly glazed, offering little kick but plenty of glide. Up hills were tough without much kick. Once we reached the intersection of the Ringwood/Ramapo trail, the ski tracks stopped, so we broke our own. It may have been a little bit slower, but seemed easier to me.

By Ice Pond Rd, we were able to pick up my friend Nancy’s tracks from the day before. We took them all the way up Pearson Ridge to where the Blue trail turns off the road. Huge snowdrifts crossed the road creating a roller coaster affect as we rolled through the drifts. Nate pretty much dropped us on this climb. You can tell who has been keeping up with their secret training.

Once reaching the blue, we broke our own tracks all the way out to the lookout on Ilgenstein. As most mountain bikers know, the trail underneath is very rocky, but today we sailed over a blanket of white snow without a rock in sight. Trail markers were partially buried, and even the blueberry bushes were all under the snow. We had to stop several times to find our way, by searching familiarity, and contours, with no rocks or bushes to guide us.

The biggest problem was getting back up after you fell. The snow was so deep that you could not push off the ground with your arms. At one point I cramped my leg trying to get up. It is somewhat of a comical and helpless feeling. Actually much of XC skiing feels comical and helpless.

On our way back we skied more single-track and added in Warm Puppy to complete the ski mission at four hours. It was an amazing day. I don’t know if we will ever have this much snow at Ringwood again, so I am glad to have experienced this epic ski.

Today it is warm and the sun shines. The snow is melting fast and an old friend peeks out.

Snow, Water and Trees

2010-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

Big Snow continued ...

2010-02-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

Waway ski

Finally enough snow to ski Harriman, and it was a beautiful sunny day as well. Nate and Art joined me, but I found myself mostly skiing alongside my shadow. The sky was deep blue and the late afternoon sun sparkled off the snow like candy for my eyes. We do not get this much snow that often, so it was great to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to ski in a winter wonderland.

The soup chronicles:

CJ soup

I have been on a bit of a soup kick lately. I roast a chicken each week, and use the carcass for making soup base. I started making soup because most processed soups contained too much MSG and garlic. I got a little tired of the typical chicken soup, so I have been spicing it up each week. The first week was "potato leek". The second week was "squash ginger" which also contained sweet potato.

Today I was inspired by a soup called "Tortilla Soup" that WOW host, CJ made when we were in Arizona. I had to wing it a bit, as I could not remember exactly how it was made. I mainly remember that it was really good and he crumbled chips and a mild cheese on top. My version was basically chicken soup with yellow pepper, corn, rice, southwest spices and fresh cilantro. He may have used mesquite smoked chicken, which I did not have, so it was missing some of the traditional local flavors. Although my soup was good, it was still not the real thing. Maybe because of the spice and maybe because I was eating it here in New Jersey looking out over a foot of snow. I look forward to returning to Arizona to taste it's flavors and feel the sun.

Big Snow 2010

2010-02-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Wednesday's snowstorm dumped a ton of snow on New Jersey. I spent my day making soup, shoveling snow and skiing through town....

skiing mount onto the rings ...

past big snowmen and little girls ...

and back home for Squash Ginger Soup.

Cycling Through the Seasons

2010-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Just when you think things are looking gray, Mother Nature covers our little world in snow, making everything look clean and new again. Two inches of snow may just have been a tease, but it renewed my spirit enough to get me out on the road bike once again. Yes, I know many may think that riding a bike in winter is nuts, but winter riding can be quite beautiful and an enlightening experience. I think it has less to do with any immediate training goals, but has more to do with feeling alive through the long haul of life. If you can imagine having the cold take your breath away and still be breathing hard, being chilled while sweating, and loving the sun and hating the wind all in the same time. It makes me feel alive in a way that only a few take the time to experience.

As I neared the lee side of the mountains, I was surprised to see so little snow. I noticed water running down ice-lined crevices in the hillside. One particular branch lay suspended across a stream, draped with a curtain of ice. The higher I climbed, the more the snow there was. By the time I climbed up to the lake, snow covered the ground and the frozen lake. The sun was almost blinding as it reflected off the lake. It was a whole new world up there, well worth the effort of climbing. The effort may have actually made it better.

I enjoyed the accomplishment of the climb, but descending down out of the park was quite cold. I ended up riding my brakes in hopes to avoid any extra wind chill, which allowed for some extra sight seeing along the way. Everything looks different in winter. There are longer sight lines, animals are easily visible, and the landscape takes on a less cluttered and honest look. Throughout most of the descent, I was just bracing myself against the cold that had crept into the sweaty nooks and crannies in my under layers.

Finally, I reached a little uphill to pedal myself warm again. It was just a matter of time before muscle memory kicked in and it was business as usual pedaling home. Just like in summer, the sun was getting low in the sky on my return. Whether I dreamed of summer, or embraced the cold, it felt good to be outside taking it all in. It is good to ride a bike in any season.

homemade soup of the week: chicken, potato, leek

January Thaw

2010-01-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

sunset from warm puppy rock

checking in on grampa turtle at "no-duck pond"

green...

... and more green

resident hawk's dinner table

remains of a pigeon

Snow Bike

2010-01-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

New Year's Day

2010-01-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

Six Teammates ....

Three Flats .....

And a Trash Bag.

Although many New Years are spent pondering resolutions, I prefer to spend a little more time just to appreciate what I already have. Sure, we all want to do better for ourselves, but much of that comes from things that we already may have, like our health, our family and our friends. As secure as these things may seem, they can be taken away at any time. So this year I am taking a moment to appreciate what I have. As for resolutions: my theory du jour, which begs dispute, is derived from the simple habit of preferring to think of a glass as being half full, rather than half empty. Take a half full life, with space to add more stuff and throw in riding a bike, and I think many of us could be pretty happy. Welcome 2010 ….

My New Years Day ride plans began with apathy, mostly because the weather was uncertain. The day shaped up nicely as teammates began to wake up and feel each others energy. The cast of characters for the day would be: Marianne, Art, Laura, whose car would not start the morning she was supposed to depart for Oregon, Dar, whose car broke down in Vermont and was pretending to be stranded at Marianne’s house and Willy, who had finally gotten a day off of work.

Although snow covered the ground in the morning, temperatures were rising fast, and I wagered on the snow melting off the roads by mid-day so that we could do a team road ride. Just as expected, the snow melted quickly, and six Campmorians gathered for a ride to welcome the New Year. Laura, whose clothes were still packed in the car at the gas station where it would not start, rode her bike over to the start with a trash bag under her skinsuit. She made crinkle, crinkle noises as she moved in her resourceful wardrobe. As “un-green” as trash bags are made out to be, they come in handy now and then, and many a cyclist have been caught out in bad weather, and found a trash bag to get them home. With the current growing unemployment rate, I think this wardrobe worthy of recognition.

Within a quarter mile of the start of the ride, Art pulled out of the pace line with a flat tire, and like whales in a pod, we followed in unison and huddled together in sympathy. Every cyclist hopes that if a tire needs to be changed in winter, that it be quick and uncomplicated. Unfortunately, Art had a stubborn wire bead tire. After a tiresome 15 minute tire change, Art was a bit frustrated, but we all hung in there with him to get through the change. Sharing tools and co2, all with words and laughter, got the job done, and we were on our way again. About two miles down the road, Art pulls out of the pace line again announcing he is going flat and is done with this ride; about faces and rides away.

The group was feeling a bit sad about the split, but we agreed to all systems go and pushed on with our ride, but deep inside, we all missed Art, the head whale (insert whale noises). 30 minutes go by, and the phone rings. This was a thankful for technology moment, as Art was on another bike and wanted to meet us en-route somewhere. Hooray! We set up a meet location and greet him with whale hugs. The happy whale pod was back together and continued on with the ride. Oh yeh, Dar gets a flat too, but I think you all know the routine by now. ....team work!

Six teammates, three flat tires and a trash bag later, I realize how lucky I am to spend the first day of the year with such special friends. Each and every one of them is there for the other, and always ready to lend a hand, and be a friend. Looking forward to many more of these rides in 2010!

December Snowfall

2009-12-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Photo by Art White

Thanksgiving Rides and Races

2009-11-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

Whitmore's Super Cross Big Weekend

2009-11-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

Going to the beach in the “off season” can be quite special. The sky is bigger, the water is bluer, the shadows are longer, and the beaches are windswept and free of crowds and clutter. Four Campmorians, four cross bikes and a mom settled in at the beach to eat and rest for a big two days of cross racing.

Art enjoying a moment of victory.

Tasting the gold.

My race, Day 1: This was my sixth cross race, but the first race on my brand new cross bike, or any cross bike for that matter. To add to the excitement of the day, the course was really awesome. Steep ups and downs, off cambers, real double track trails in the woods and a few bermed turns. It was a mountain bikers dream of a cross course. I pre-rode a lap in the morning and the bike felt comfortable, like we were meant to be together, and I went to the line confident to race.

I got off to a good start, sprinting to mid pack from the back row. Going into the first uphill, Rock, my main competition for the day, and who coincidentally wears a pink skinsuit and is famous with the announcer, passed me. Traffic would eventually force us off our bikes. I kept tight with the flow of traffic during the next half a lap, and I should have noticed that I kept jamming into traffic on the descents and would almost run into anyone braking ahead of me, but the excitement of the start had me so fired up. Logic was not in my thoughts at that time. When I reached the hump, which was rideable, I was forced off again with traffic, but was swift and threw my leg over and rode down the steep descent barely on one pedal. I did try to grab some brake as I dodged a juniors leg who was mounting at the bottom, but a blink of my eye, and I was riding away. That was reminder number two, that these canti brakes do not work well.

Next was the single track berms. These were so much fun! I came in full speed, riding the berms, assumed I could dump enough speed to make the turn in front of the tree and found myself 10 feet into the woods riding over sticks. Big ooops, a nice laugh, and rode back on course, now registering in my brain that these brakes have some limitations. All this happening and I still have Rock's wheel close, and notice she struggled on the climb. I hang tight behind her for a lap and get myself together a bit. Before the climb on the next lap, she steadies up and I go. I sense a small gap develops, but keep pushing. I get a little too fired up and push the limits of my brakes, nearly going down on a off camber descent, but just manage to keep it upright. After that each lap felt better than the one before. This was the first cross race that I did not wish for the bell. It was a good day indeed, and my little bike did me well.

It was a big weekend for Team Campmor cross section. Laura finished 1st and 2nd, Art, 2nd and 3rd, and Tara finished strong each day with a smile on her face. It was great to hear that big laugh around us again. It was good times to hang out and cheer and heckle. Besides big racing success, we saw a big duck and a big cauliflower. It was a big fun weekend!

Somewhere in the Middle

2009-11-11T05:54:00.001-08:00

Cyclocross at the Hidden Valley Club....
Sunday was an incredible beautiful day In November, with warm temps and sunny skies. Laura went from flip-flops and a tank top to puffy coat when the sun finally did dip behind the mountain. Cyclocross at the Hidden Valley Club was a small local event suitable for the whole family to come out and race, and to make it even more family friendly, it was bone dry. I would have done much better with a wet race, but it was great to see some new racers out there, and even better that the promoter had less clean up to do afterwards. This was the only race all year, that I did not have to wash my bike afterwards. Hooray!!

For me, it was my first open A race, receiving my official upgrade from 4 to 3 that day. It was only my 5th cross race, but I felt like it was time, and once I was upgraded, I began to second guess my decision. The A's and B's started together so not much was actually different, except in my head. I certainly felt under pressure lining up in the front, and being on a mountain bike. I was unable to re-mount on the off camber section after the first stairs, and got a little flustered the first time around. And then my stomach began to cramp as the A women rode away from me. I backed off a tad to aid my stomach, but I could see the B's right behind me. I struggled with this thought for a bit, but eventually I gave into being the B bait, and made the most of it.

My stomach improved by lap 2, and although I tried a bunch of different ways to re-mount after those stairs, I pathetically failed each time, which is something I need to work on. I also had some difficulty getting into my big ring. Then pushing too hard, I threw my chain off onto the crank arm once, but managed to shift it back up quickly. I feel like I finished strong and somewhere in the middle of the entire women's field, putting some distance on those behind me, and lapping a few B's near the end. Certainly a good day, helping me realize I need to practice a bit when my new cross bike arrives, any day now.

That night I had dinner with my mom and my brothers family. My nephew has finally reached the height of 5'3", which is the same height as my mom and me. We posed for a picture to document this magical moment of three generations. Just look who is in the middle again.

November Sights

2009-11-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

HPCX

2009-11-02T17:11:00.001-08:00

Sunday's cross race took place in a small park in central New Jersey. The course was twisty, hilly and very soupy. With each race the mud churned up more and more, leaving the low areas completely soup by the last race. Spectators were heckling and having some fun. I think Art has the makings of a professional heckler. Bike clean up was furiously taking place between finished racers and 1/2 lap bike changes in the pit. For us humble, single biked mountain bikers from Team Campmor, we just dealt with the bike we started with, and did just fine.

One thing I really like about cross racing is that I can go real hard, have someone to chase and come away with enough energy to go out and do something the next day. It just seems to be easier to recover from than a mountain bike race. On Monday I had plenty of energy to rake and haul leaves with no machines, and I always have the biggest pile on the street. Just a quiet few hours spent saying goodbye to summer 09, and packing away my air conditioner (the tree canopy to the south of my house) for the year.

Fall Foliage - post #2

2009-10-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Fall Foliage - post #1

2009-10-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

Eye on the Sky for 2009

2009-10-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have gone from two action packed, exciting weekends of racing, to out on my back. Well, just a minor glitch in the clockworks of a fifty something year old, and I will say no more about that, as I am back on the bike today, and boy did it feel good. One thing that I am always reminded during these times, is how much I appreciate the ability to move and live my life. Sometimes, it takes a little reminder to make me appreciate all that I have, and I do have a lot to be thankful about.

With a few extra moments on Sunday to reflect back on the year, I was drawn to one recurring, almost an obsession in 2009: the sky. I have witnessed so many outstanding skies over the past year. The kind of skies that were filled with intense clouds and would make me pull off the road while driving and take a picture. And still, many times I had no camera to take a picture. Although those times may seem lost, they will remain in my memory.

So why the sky? ....Perhaps it was all the rain that dropped these scenes in front view to us all, or just my ability to see them. The reason is less important than their ability to move me at that very moment in time. It would be to easy to remember the summer of 2009 as only the rainy, muddy race year. Even within rainy days, there is much to see, and the year is not over yet. .....Here in a package of snapshots intertwined with music, labeled: "Eye on the Sky". See Video Gallery -> or cut and paste: http://gallery.me.com/ellenandart#100208

Season's Crossing

2009-10-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

While wondering around in search of some fall foliage photo opportunities, I came across this dandelion in full bloom and in total denial of the season. His perky head was popping out over a bed of bright red fallen leaves, as if unaware of tomorrows frost or pending winter's arrival. A summer of rain, has left us in a deficit of sunny days and yet made so many plants grow this summer. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is in denial about saying goodbye to summer.

Hesitant to put summer and racing behind me, I seem to have fallen into cyclocross racing. Some of you may ask: "what is cyclocross?" , and If I may quote pro mountain biker racer, Jane Pearson after her first cross race this Saturday, ....."It's just mental!" Some of you may not know Jane, and I can fill you in: She is not referring to thinking or anything using the mind, but to pure insanity and craziness.

Cyclocross is a bit of a sub-culture in itself, laden with spectators, cowbells and just plain hanging out and riding hard. It could take place just about anywhere, and could be on any combination of dirt, grass, gravel, roots, sand, pavement, mud, staircases or whatever the promoter can throw together to make a pack of cyclists spike their heart rates as they hurdle, run and ride around like they are mental. The fact that it is short and quite intense is what I like most.

Saturday's race was in a city park in Newburgh NY, and the course was freshly topped with a night of rain to help lubricate the excitement of the race. The park had really cool old growth trees, some with incredible climbing branches. This one pictured was filled with local pro, Christian Favata's personal cheering section. One tree was so large that even pixy's ape arms could not measure the diameter. After a season of mountain bike racing in remote forrest parks, it was a refreshing change to race in a more urban setting. I had the chance to trade smiles with the local town recycler ( town bag man ), who happened to be on a bike as well, and must have been feeling like he fit right in with the festivities.

I had an awesome time out on the course racing myself. Laura had helped me the day before with some mounting and dismounting tips, and it really helped. I used my mountain bike, and the practice the day before helped me figure out the most efficient way to carry my bike. The front triangle is too small to shoulder, and I am too short to carry from the top tube, so the down tube was perfect with my long arms. I had two really good runs through the barriers where I actually came off the ground. Imagine that? This has been some year. First I had to somersault and now I am jumping. If you asked me at twenty, what I would be doing at fifty, I would have never guessed. Cross racing is pretty cool.

Racing at Ringwood for a Change

2009-10-06T17:50:00.001-07:00

photo by coog: http://coog.smugmug.com/

I don't think it really set in, until we were driving up Morris Rd at 9:30 on race day. After a decade of pre-dawn preparations for promotional duties and volunteer work for Ringwood races, we were finally just racing. My plan was to hang out and watch some Cat 2 & 3 racing with no particular jobs, other than to get myself ready to race myself. I was really relaxed, and completely enjoying my long deserved freedom to just race. I don't think I had raced Ringwood in 5 or 6 years, and even then, it was hectic and involved getting up early, and cleaning the course after the race, which usually meant riding back into an empty parking lot after sunset. It really is a thankless job, and I am happy to shift my focus to more rewarding things, like building trails, or enjoying a race.

So my day began with a smile inside, and got better as it went. I enjoyed watching the racers so much that I was a little late getting back to the car to prepare for my race. This turned out to be a good thing because I usually get ready too early and finish my warm up too soon and sit around before my start, resulting in a bad start. The timing was perfect and off we went. I had a great start and felt like I was in mix with the leaders in sight. With all the roads on the first half of the lap, racers went back and fourth a bit which was nice. There were a few sections that had bogged me down on the pre-ride, and much to my surprise, those ended up being my strongest sections where I was able to pass others. It's funny how things change when you are focussed.

At the end of my first lap, I came across Laura who had crashed hard. I stopped very briefly to find out she thought she could ride out and maybe continue. I decided to continue. Now this is where girls get weird. Any guy would have jumped back into the race, like no big deal, but I kept thinking I should stop and check with her again. So I did, and more ladies started to catch up. So either you race or you stop, right? All I can say is "girls are girls". Eventually I continued on to my second lap, still thinking about if I should have stopped again. Dar was on my wheel, and she seemed like she needed a lift on the long road, so I pulled the whole way, and we talked a bit. Then I lost my concentration, dropping my chain and doing a series of mishaps, and found myself 2 ladies back. A induced a little self pep talk and that along with catching a few glimpses of Cynthia ahead, kept me in the game and pushing.

I continued to feel energetic right through my last lap, and worked my way back up to Dar by the switch-backs. At that point, I felt accomplished to get there and was happy to roll in to the finish behind her. Apparently she was cramping, and got off to walk the final switchback. Howie was there cheering and I wasn't going to let him see me walk any climb, so I put on my race face and nailed that thing. It just so happened, that I passed Dar too, which was not my plan. So, it ended up that Dar rolled into the finish just behind me. I know, and she knows, that we finished together. Yeh, I know, (roll eyes) "girls". I am just real happy that my energy levels were that good for the whole race. It may have been my best race of the year, and it is indeed a good feeling to end the season on a good note.

Ride now, rest later .....

2009-09-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

... well, that was my thinking last weekend anyway. Blue skies, dry weather and riding my bike were on my forecast for the three day weekend.

Marianne and I made some last minutes changes, and the result was a mid-day ride at Wawayanda with Art on Friday. We hit up all the usual great trails and the conditions could not have been any better. I was even more pleased not to run into any more rattlesnakes on splitrock. My last experience out there was a bit unsettling with rattles sounding from what seemed like all over, resulting in a bunch of girls huddling together behind their bikes. ...That was then and on this day, we thankfully slipped through without bothering any snakes. We rode some new trails and were reacquainted with forgotten trails. It was a day to remember. Pictures above, from the bridge that Nature Jim claims .... but we all know that the beaver owns this one.

On Saturday I went for a ride at one my favorite spots, Blue Mt. We had a nice group made up of Adrienne, Dar, Marianne and myself. We were joined by Alex and Jane for Monster. I know I had a race at Blue the Sunday before, but I felt like I didn't get my fix without a ride on Stinger and Monster. So there I was, like a single-track junkie going back to get my fix. I tried to justify my being there by thinking I was helping to guide Adrienne on her first Blue ride, but I think we all know (wink, wink) what I was doing there. Lots of fun on Saturday too.

Sunday, we all agreed to do a road ride because Dar was really jonesing to ride road with us. We needed to cap the ride off at 50 miles, but where to go? My thinking was, give her the best of the best ... Ringwood to Harriman. The bridge on 106 has been barricaded but passable by bike for over a year now, and recently a backhoe arrived on the site. I emailed Marianne, who would be traveling back through the park the night before, to scope it out. From what she could see in the dark, it looked like nothing had changed from the week before.

Much to our surprise, when arriving at the bridge, it had been removed, gone, like 2 feet deep of water 20 feet across. I got a chuckle when I saw that a beaver had already started to fill the chasm with branches. What were we to do? hmmmm, Jess made the first move by climbing down the embankment and stepping into the water to see how deep it was. After crossing, she declared it a go. I removed my shoes and socks because it was chilly that day and I did not want wet anything on my feet going 40 mph downhill. I would not recommend walking barefoot through a construction site, and I am probably insane for saying this, but the dirt, broken tar and cool water felt really good on my feet. It was a liberating experience, and was truly an adventure for my new road bike, Napoleon too.

Jungle Hunting ....

2009-09-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

for signs of rains past

for signs of nature fighting man

for signs of geological changes

for jailed animal escape routes

for new ways to see the sunset

for beauty

Winding Down of Summer Collage

2009-09-09T05:37:00.001-07:00

early signs of fall

beavers at mahlon

mom's shell collection

cheese boy getting rad....

whimsy at the stands

can you say cheese?

Just another sunset: Thank you Art for always dragging us out to the bridge at sunset. It is so easy to get entrenched in cooking, cocktails and conversation that we nearly miss sunset each time, but Art seems to keep a half an eye on the sky outside, and at that right moment he makes the announcement for us to move outside to the bridge to see what the next sunset will bring. Sunsets are never the same, as each day brings new clouds and wind. Although not all are worthy of taking pictures, each sunset is worthy of witnessing. They are somewhere imbedded in our memory forever.

West Point Loop

2009-08-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

The start of a 60 mile scenic road ride....

through Harriamn State Park....

and it's beautiful lakes.

One of the many views of the Hudson River.

climbed to the top of Perkins lookout ....

so that Henry could pose for this blog picture.

Rode north of West Point ....

with spectacular views around each curve...

on a road closed to motor vehicles.

After two days of rain, the sun came out just north of New Jersey, and what a day we had. Willy, Marianne, Henry, Frank, Art and I rode about 60 miles on some of the most scenic roads in the area. It is hard to believe that these roads exist so close to NYC and do not get used. Perhaps they are too hilly for the average bike enthusiast, but if you don't mind some hills, it doesn't get much better that this.

Queen for a day in the Kingdom

2009-08-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Super hot and and humid weekend .... time to get out of town. Destination: Kingdom Trails, Vt. One birthday, a few days riding, with a few good friends and a thousand laughs. See gallery for "Kingdom Trails" video: http://gallery.me.com/ellenandart#100123

Windham Kenda Cup East

2009-08-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

arriving in the catskills just as the sun comes out

how can you help but dig any place with pink mud

trip to psychedelic suds

a study in rotational wait

life imitating art, imitating life

girls in search of beauty

icing the legs for the big day

Super-D: August 15, 5:30 p.m. …..
Who would have ever guessed that a 50 year old women would be riding the chairlifts with 5 other girls to lay in the grass and gaze up at the clouds waiting for the word “go”. Once prompted by this word, we would jump up, somersault and run to our bikes for a downhill race. Thanks to Tom Spiegel for this crazy idea of a start that got me pictured in cycling news in full form of a forward roll. Both jumping up and rolling did momentarily make me a tad dizzy. I may recall an article in AARP about standing up too fast, and although I don’t really like to think that I am 50, it just may be true.

Once on the bike, I felt at home and found myself pedaling like crazy down the meadow road. I instantly passed 2 girls, but could still hear someone right behind me. She flew by me on a steep downhill section of road and took off. Once in the single track, I managed to bridge back up to her and noticed she was off pushing an uphill. Then she faltered over an uphill root, and before she could push up and swing her leg back over the bike, I was by and never looked back. I passed another girl walking out the bottom with an unlucky flat tire. When I got to the bottom, I found out that Alex had won the pro field and Laura the 19-39. To sum it up: It was 12 minutes of all out adrenaline, grinning inside and out, childish fun, for all ages. If you have not tried a Super-D and you enjoy riding downhill XC, you must give it a try.

Cross Country: August 15, 8:00 a.m. .....
Both the XC and the Super-D courses were really fun and well maintained. Similar to last year, they had many rock cribs and well constructed bridges with chicken wire that allowed racers to cross wet areas with ease. The climbs were broken up and the last two climbs from last years course were taken out, making for a shorter lap. The climbing was still plenty challenging and the downhill always went way too fast.

On race day, some of the rocks were wet and somewhat slippery, but most of the course was perfect. We started at 8:00 a.m. in a cool fog. I wasn’t feeling a fast start in me, so I succumbed to a steady diesel pace for lap one. We rode from open ski slope into dark woods, which was difficult to adjust our vision. I made a note of obstacles and made sure to trust my memory during the brief blind moments for the remainder of the race.

As we rode up the mountain, the sun began to peek through and particles of some sort created a sparkling effect. It was like candy for my eyes. Suffering some with my start, the sparkles were a welcomed distraction. By the top of our climb we were each greeted by name by the very loud announcer, Bruce, as we rode out of the clouds into bright sunshine. Knowing I needed to focus on my race, I could not resist but to glance out across the mountains. I'm glad I did because it was a magical sight as the mountains tops rose out of a bed of clouds. From there on, I found my stride, and each lap got better than the one before. I finished strong with a little left in the tank.

In all, it was a great weekend of racing and as always, it was inspiring to see the top pros race.

oh willy loves sweets!

Mt Snow Race and Travels

2009-08-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

More to follow ....

Rain, Fungus and ....

2009-08-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have been through some rainy times, but this summer is going on record in my mind as the rainiest of them all. With all that rain, comes verdant forests and mushrooms galore: cute little shaped fungus, odd fungus, ruffled orange fungus, and the tiny red ones that line the trails by hundreds.

Escape to Blue

2009-07-17T15:12:00.001-07:00

Napoleon Ride #2

2009-07-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, technically it is ride #2, but to me it was our first real ride together. After I arrived at the start, I noodled around a bit trying to dial in the feel of the Sram rear shifter. I got about 50 ft and BANG! Front tire blew off the rim. Apparently the tube was pinched under the bead of the tire. There seemed to be no damage, the tube got changed and we got our first snafu out of the way. We got under way so I could get on to my 33 mis-shifts, and whatever else goes with a new bike.

Contrary to my inability to be at ease with the new shifting on the first ride, the connection with the handling was found instantly. I never would have imagined a 14.5 lb bike to be that stable while descending. From the first groove of a turn I was at ease. Climbing together, I felt I was riding a complete new level of bike. Too busy thinking about shifting, I probably did not put him through his paces yet, but the possibilities seemed to be there.

The Sram is quite intuitive, and I should have no problem settling into the feel eventually, but I did not have the mindset to have it just happen automatically yet. I can be an old dog, and in this case an old campy dog with my thumb inadvertently reaching out. The compact also had a different rhythm, but with all the other changes going on, I really can't make comment on that yet. All I know is that my usual weekly route felt new, and I am happy to search out new horizons with a new friend.

Welcome Napoleon

2009-07-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Over the course of a few days, and quietly in the basement of my house, an assortment of red and grey boxes of parts were some how transformed into "Napoleon" ..... my new road bike. Much thanks to Art and trusted consultant and fitter, Sandy. There was one anxious moment that involved a hacksaw, but the results of planning, building, cutting and fitting are outstanding. I took him out for the first test ride, minus bar tape, and with an alternate front wheel and all I can is WOW! This is one sweet ride. More to follow.

Water, Wind, Sky and Family

2009-06-28T16:15:00.000-07:00